


Rise to the Occasion

by sunshineflying



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Olympics, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Swimming, Synchronized Swimming - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-03 05:20:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13334319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshineflying/pseuds/sunshineflying
Summary: Rey Niima is an orphaned only child with dreams of making her mother's synchronized swimming legacy live on. Kylo Ren is a speed swimmer whose bid at the Olympics was pulled out from underneath him. When they're each other's last hope at Olympic gold, will they be able to put their differences aside?A 2020 Summer Olympics AU.





	1. Chapter 1: How it All Falls Apart

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my highly self-indulgent fic that I couldn't get out of my mind after reading an old favorite in a different fandom.
> 
> I'm a synchronized swimmer so most knowledge is what I've learned over the years. Interspersed throughout, if there are references to moves, I will do my best to provide a photo or YouTube video to give you a visual. The history of the sport is, as best I could find, accurate. The question of whether mixed (male/female) duets will be allowed for the first time in 2020 is yet to be determined, so here's my wishful thinking and crossed fingers! 
> 
> I have ten chapters planned and, as it currently sits, nine chapters written. Unless chapter ten gets wildly out of hand and longer than anticipated, this will be no more than ten chapters. Have no fear! This will not be abandoned!
> 
> I welcome any and all comments, questions, or feedback as we go along. My hope is that my beta can weed out any incredibly unclear jargon so you don't get too confused in the moments when they're in the pool. 
> 
> Happy reading! xx

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Kylo meet for the first time.

“I - I’m sorry to have to do this over the phone. The injury… it’s worse than we thought. Torn ACL and sprained ankle. That fall really did me in.” Nervous laughter. “I’m so sorry, Rey. I’m not going to be healed up in time for the Olympics. Not even if I go into surgery _right now_. I’m sorry. Rey. So sorry. I’m not going to be able to swim the duet with you.”

The phone call ends. Rey doesn’t say a word.

\---

“Ben, honey, calm down.”

Ben paces the living room of his hotel room. He’s tense, his long hair draped down in his eyes. He worries his lip between his teeth, between his fingers, as he tries to wrap his mind around what his mother is telling him. “Say it again. What _exactly_ did they say?”

Leia sighs, and resents her husband just a little bit for being gone yet again. She’s had to deal with Ben’s Olympic dreams, his fits of rage that come along with them, for the last eight years.

“Your swim time technically qualified you, but you’re getting old. The panel has decided to send this year’s fourth place qualifier to compete in your place. He had better times overall in international competitions, which they take into consideration. You either go to the Olympics as an alternate, or you don’t go at all.”

\--

Rey has made so many sacrifices to get to the Olympics. She’s worked so hard. She’s given up so much. She still has her team - her wonderful, beautiful team who feel more like a family to her. But that’s not the same. The duet was always a dream of hers - a mixed duet, something that was still a little taboo in the synchronized swimming world. Men didn’t belong in synchronized swimming. It was weird. Feminine. A rare jewel, like a ballerino.

When Finn had literally stumbled into her life, using the pool at her swim club outside of public use hours, she’d frozen in place. She’d lost nearly a quarter of her precious private pool time just watching the way he moved in the water.

He’d never done synchronized swimming, of course. Most people haven’t. But when someone is a natural in the water, when they seem so in tune with their bodies that everything in the water just _works_ \- well, it’s easier to notice.

They started working together immediately, as soon as Rey dived in and told Finn that technically speaking, he could be escorted off the premises for being in the pool during her private hours. He’d apologized profusely, and Rey just asked that he make it up to her by swimming with her that day.

The chemistry was instantaneous and Rey couldn’t believe that she’d actually managed to make this dream of hers a reality. She’d found a duet partner. Now they just had to get good - Olympic good.

But now those years of hard work and training had amounted to absolutely nothing. Rey could do the routine in her sleep, but it didn’t matter because she had no partner. Sure, every team has an alternate, but it’s different for mixed duets, at least where she grew up. Male synchronized swimmers were a rarity. Even if she’d had the spare time to invest in finding an alternate partner, nobody would have wanted to do it.

Now Rey sits in her coach’s office, at the swimming facility they’re using in upstate New York to prepare for the summer olympics in Tokyo, which are just shy of two months away. Her eyes are watering and she’s trying so hard not to be discouraged. The biggest dream of Rey’s life is slipping through her fingers. Sure, there are other olympics, later down the road, but she’s already twenty-five. She doesn’t have many years left to compete if she wants a family of her own, wants to settle down and have a relatively normal adult life after an extraordinary athletic career.

Everything has fallen in disarray. The team routines will do well, of that Rey is sure, but the rest hangs in the balance.

When her coach, Maz Kanata walks in, she looks less than pleased. “So, Finn is out, huh?”

Rey swallows around a lump in her throat and nods.

“What do you suggest we do about it?” Maz presses.

For as hard as Rey had thought about possible solutions, she’d come up with absolutely nothing. Her eyes well with tears at the thought of it. When she looks up at Maz, her coach sees the devastation, the helplessness, the loss of hope.

“You still get to compete at the Olympics, girl. You’re luckier than most.”

Maz is right, and Rey knows it, but that doesn’t mean anything when she’s lost her duet partner. This was the event she’d been looking forward to the most. Mixed duet. Breaking ground for more male synchronized swimmers. Qualifying in second place, with the full potential of taking gold at the Olympics, right there on the horizon.

“Look, alternates were hard to find back in Oregon, and they’ll be even harder to find last minute in upstate New York,” Maz says. She’s a no nonsense woman, very short both in physical stature and demeanor. She looks at Rey through glasses so thick, so full of prescription that they double the size of her eyes as she looks at her. “Let me make a few calls and see what I can do. There’s got to be _someone_ out there. Maybe there’s hope yet. Until then, get in that pool and practice with your team. Don’t let your practice with them slide because you’re moping over Finn.”

Rey isn’t hopeful that Maz will be able to find her a partner for the mixed duet. It’d be different if it were a plain duet, something with one of her teammates where she’d have a full team of alternates. No, she had to pick the difficult one. Maz is right, though. Her team needs her. They’re all she has left now, anyway.

Obediently, Rey nods and stands from the chair, moving to the door to leave. “You never told me how Finn hurt himself,” Maz observes as Rey rests her hand on the door knob.

“He was… on a date.”

That’s all Rey says on the matter, because it’s all Maz needs to hear.

In reality, the date had consisted of Finn and his partner Poe Dameron goofing around on an ice rink at night. New York City was always an idyllic place for tourists like them. They couldn’t resist. And then Poe lost his balance, and then Finn lost his balance, and in a wrangled tumble they’d ended up one on top of the other, Poe making inappropriate jokes for exactly fourteen seconds before realizing that Finn was _hurt_ . _Badly_ . And if Maz ever found out Finn had risked his health for a skating date with his boyfriend, she’d have his head. She already disliked Poe on principle, because it meant Finn wasn’t available to practice on a whim like Rey was - he was devoted to the sport _and_ his partner, whereas Rey had nobody. She could devote all the time in the world to synchro.

Rey retreats through the halls of the foreign swim club, a place she’s never been. She takes a couple wrong turns, but ends up in the locker room eventually. The rest of her team is already there, and a few give her consoling pats on the back. She picks the locker right next to her closest teammate, Rose Tico, and starts to change.

“You know, if I were a guy, I’d swim with you,” Rose offers kindly.

It’s not the first time she’s said it, and Rey appreciates the sentiment, but the more practical side of her wishes they’d forget all about it. She’d very much like to use team practices to escape her woes; instead, the pitying looks just remind her more of the opportunity she’s lost.

“Thank you,” Rey replies finally. She changes into her suit quickly, avoiding everyone’s gazes. “Let’s not worry about it, though. Alright? We need to get these routines in tip-top shape!” She tries her best to sound optimistic and hopeful. They all know that they’ve got no chance against the Russian team, the best synchronized swimming team in the world. Even the Chinese team have given them a run for their money lately. Winning a medal won’t come easy to the American team. It never has.

A born leader, Rey convinces her entire team to drop it with just a simple sentence. They go out to the pool and begin their practice, oblivious to the numerous other swimmers moving around on the various floors of the club, stretching, meeting with their coaches, finding out whether their dreams, too, will come true.

\---

“No, I’m not showing my face there again.”

Leia scoffs. “Ben, come on. You’ve done this before. Faced people after you didn’t qualify.”

Ben glares at his mother through scruffy black hair. “Yes, but never after I _did_ qualify but then was deemed unfit to compete,” he glares. “This isn’t fair.”

“You sound like a child.”

Ben really hates his mother sometimes. Begrudgingly, though, he respects her. Unlike his father. At least when he’d taken a real liking to swimming, Leia had encouraged him. Ben thinks she’d wanted him to make friends, but once swimming actually got competitive - around high school, or so, when friends _really_ start to matter - he made none. He was far too competitive for anyone to actually enjoy his company.

That only drove Ben further into his practices, working on his swimming skills until nobody wanted to face him at swim meets because he’d always blow them out of the water, almost literally. During one particularly prideful meet during his junior year of high school, Ben finished a 200 meter freestyle a full thirty-two seconds before anyone else did.

In his senior year, he’d been scouted by all types of swimming coaches and began swimming in international competitions after that. He’d convinced his parents to let him skip college for now, saying that he wanted to commit to swimming full time, to win medals, to see how far he could go. His father didn’t have two words to say about it, mostly because he’d been too busy keeping up with his acting career, always playing the grumpy old man in TV shows and movies. His mother, though… she’d encouraged him. She’d smiled and asked him how she could help. Really, all they had was each other. Ben’s dad never quite took to being tied down.

Ben competed in the Olympics for the first time in 2008, and he’d been qualifying for them ever since. This is the first time in his life he’s ever tried, and failed, to qualify for the Olympics. Suffice it to say, he’s not handling it well. Not as well as a thirty-four year old man should, at least.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Ben. You did all you could. They’re right. You’re getting older. I think maybe it’s time you start looking at more,” she hesitates, trying to choose the right word, the one that won’t set off her son, “ _practical_ career paths.”

“No. I’m not done yet. This was supposed to be my last Olympic games,” Ben says stubbornly. “I was going to retire, and _then_ tell the world I’m actually Ben Solo, son of the so-called ‘legendary actor’ Han Solo, and _then_ go into coaching full time.”

Leia sighs. Her son has always been strong-willed and idealistic. It’s usually served him well. This time, though… it’s something else. “You can still do almost all of that. You can still tell everyone you’re not Kylo Ren - though something tells me most people already suspect that.”

“It’s a good name, mom.”

“Of course it is, sweetheart,” Leia amends. She looks up at Kylo and says, “I’ll do everything I can to help you, but… if I were you, I’d take the deal to be an alternate and go support your teammates one last time.”

“I don’t have teammates. I swim alone.”

Leia sighs. There’s no getting through to him, and she knows it. He gets that blind stubbornness from his father.

\---

Rey is drying off in the locker room, freshly showered and ready to go back to the peace and quiet of her hotel room when Maz walks through like she’s on a mission. “Niima!” she barks. She’s using Rey’s last name - that’s never a good sign. “My office, ten minutes!”

Eyes wide with hope, Rey looks up at her coach, then over at Rose. Rose looks elated for her, a massive grin on her face as Maz stomps right out the other door of the locker room, presumably up to her office. “What if she found you a new partner!?” Rose asks excitedly.

Rey pulls on her yoga pants and a sports bra, choosing to lounge in that as she finishes off her hair. “I mean, maybe,” Rey says. More than anything, she just doesn’t want to get her hopes up. “That’d be nice, but it seems a little unlikely, don’t you think?”

“Maz knows every swimmer in the country,” Rose says. “She’s a swimming _legend_.”

“And yet, nobody’s ever seen her swim,” Rey replies with a grin.

“She’s older than dirt,” chimes in Jessika Pava, another one of Rey’s teammates. One of the few she’s grown close to over the months. “She probably didn’t swim in our _parents’_ lifetimes.”

“Careful,” Rey warns, looking smug. “If she hears you she’ll make you do extra laps.”

Rey ties her hair into three neat buns down her head, hoping the meeting is a short one, and not too depressing. She’d really like to have a calm, relaxed evening for once. Maybe tonight will be the night she makes peace with the idea that she won’t be competing in the mixed duet category like she’d always hoped.

She pulls a hoodie over her head, warm and cozy, a memento when she swam for her high school synchro team, rather than for the country. It’s a nice reminder of where she came from - why she does this. The memories. The family time she used to take for granted. Slinging her swim bag over her shoulder, Rey bids her team goodbye and walks out of the locker room and up to Maz’s office.

She hears voices inside when she approaches - a male, and a female that is clearly not Maz. The woman sounds far too young. Rey knocks, and then slowly peeks her head through. “Come in, child,” Maz instructs.

Rey sets down her bag by the door and sits down in the empty chair next to the woman who’d been talking. She has silvery gray hair, but warm eyes, unlike the man sitting next to her. He looks like he’d rather be anywhere else. Rey feels a sinking pull of dread in her gut. “What’s going on?” she asks softly.

“Rey, I’d like you to meet Leia Organa and B-”

“Kylo Ren.”

The man interrupts Maz without any sort of apology. He doesn’t even look at them. Rey sighs. So this is him, then. The legendary speed swimmer. The four time gold medalist. One of the best swimmers America has ever sent to the Olympics. And he’s making a terrible first impression. “What’s he doing here?” Rey asks, gesturing to her side at the grumpy looking man.

“Well… I’d like to propose that he becomes your new duet partner.”

“No.”

Rey and Kylo speak at the exact same time, much to the exasperation of Maz and Leia. They’d both seen the refusal coming, of course. “Ben, it’s not the worst idea in the world. You want to compete at the Olympics one last time - here’s your chance,” Leia says softly.

“I thought you said your name was Kylo?” Rey asks him. “And what does she mean, here’s your chance? Surely you qualified.”

The glare he fixes her with is so strong and so terrifying that Rey literally, physically retreats from him just a little, scooting over in her chair and instantly diverting her eyes. “Don’t listen to him,” Leia says gently to Rey. “His name is Ben Solo, but he doesn’t want anyone thinking he’s getting special treatment because of his father, so when he started swimming competitively, he took on the name Kylo Ren.”

“It’s a good name,” Ben repeats.

“It’s… strange,” Rey observes.

“What would you know about names, anyway? Rey? Who named you -- a hippie?”

Rey snorts. “That was a good one.” She’s never had her name made fun of before, but the way Ben tried to do it sounded elementary, at best. “But tell me,” she insists. “Why do you need a last chance to get to the Olympics? You’re the fastest speed swimmer in America.”

“Well, why are you swimming for America if you have that stupid British accent?”

“Ben,” Leia says harshly.

“Alright, alright you two,” Maz interrupts with a smile. “Ben qualified, but his international times weren’t as great as the fourth place finisher’s, so the Olympic board decided to send the fourth place finisher instead.”

“Armitage _Hux_?” Rey asks with disgust. “He’s vile. That shouldn’t be allowed.”

Ben glances over at Rey for the first time in a while, this time without disgust. “Finally, she speaks some sense.”

“But the final word is that Hux is competing and Kylo Ren is the alternate,” Maz finishes her explanation. “Meanwhile, Rey, your swim partner Finn has injured himself and can’t be back in the water for at least three months, so you need a duet partner or you forfeit your place altogether. Which is why I’m proposing the idea - so both of you can achieve your silly arbitrary dreams of winning at the Olympics.”

“It’s not _arbitrary_ ,” Rey argues.

“And I’ve already _won_ ,” Ben chimes in.

“Just ask yourselves how badly you want these silly dreams of yours,” Maz says. “I have the pool reserved for us tomorrow morning at eight o’clock. If you’re going through with it, be on the pool deck, ready to swim. If you’re not, don’t bother showing up.”

She turns in her chair and walks out of the room, signaling that the meeting is officially over, that they’re dismissed. Rey chews on her lip for a moment, thinking it over. “It wouldn’t be the worst idea. You’re clearly talented in the water. We could easily train you into the routine…” she thinks out loud.

When Rey looks up to see what Ben thinks, all she sees is an empty chair and Leia’s apologetic gaze. “I’ll talk some sense into him,” she offers, but Rey isn’t so sure that’s possible.

She may have just watched her last chance at this duet walk right out that door.


	2. Chapter 2: That Could Have Gone Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As it turns out, synchronized swimming isn't nearly as easy as Ben Solo thought it would be...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the lovely kudos and comments so far! My beta and I are both on a roll, so here's another chapter for you! Endless thanks to Mariah and Rachel for reading and offering feedback <3
> 
> I'll provide YouTube videos to moves whenever possible, so be on the lookout for those!

Rey stands on the pool deck at 7:58, looking around nervously. It’s just her and Maz. She hadn’t slept well the night before, stuck instead lying awake, her brain going a mile a minute as she considers all the ways this day could go. First and foremost, Ben could just decide against helping her and not show up. That looks to be the route he’s taken. She also kept thinking about how stubborn he was, and how hard that would make teaching him. He’d fight her on  _ everything _ . At one point, Rey found herself wondering if all that trouble would be worth it.

But of course it would.

She’d promised her parents she’d do this, that she’d try. She wasn’t going to let him down if she could help it. If not at these summer Olympics, then the next. She’d do whatever it took.

A slam of a door causes her and Maz to both snap up and look at the source of the sound. In walks Ben, and Rey lets out a breath of relief. He doesn’t look thrilled, but he’s there. Rey wonders if his mom Leia is around somewhere, if she’d made him do this. She should probably get that woman a thank you gift, even if it doesn’t work out, because she’d gotten Ben to show up and give her a chance. “You’re late,” Maz says to him.

“It’s eight. Like you said,” Ben replies nonchalantly. “I’m right on time.”

He eyes Rey up, and she does the same back, out of courtesy of course. It’s never been a secret to her, how very little the male swimmers wear. Finn wore the same little Speedo swim bottom when he swam with her. It was nothing new to her. Bodies held no secrets when your life was swimming. Ben is long and lean and muscular, as toned as she expected, and a little lanky, too. She suddenly wonders what he thinks of her, if she stands up to what he’d expected.

“So, let’s do it,” Ben says, sounding like he’d very much like to get this done and over with. “Teach me the routine. Let’s go.”

Maz full-on laughs at Ben’s naivety. Rey holds her breath, certain that a shouting match is on the horizon. “Give me a 200 freestyle, and then we’ll start figures,” she says simply.

“Figures?” Ben asks.

Deciding it’s not worth sticking around for the battle or explanation, Rey dives right in to her laps. She vaguely hears Maz explain that figures are little moves which are then strung together to form a routine. He’d have to learn them if he wanted to swim the routine at an Olympic level. Rey couldn’t tell if Ben said anything back; regardless, he dove in and started swimming his own laps. 

They finish at the same time, and predictably, Ben gloats.

“This isn’t about speed,” Rey says, annoyance clear on her face. “If you’re going to do well at the routine, you’re going to have to pace yourself.” At his expression, she rolls her eyes and says, “I know, what a novel concept, right?” Her attitude could match his own on a bad day, and this was turning out to be one of those. “I’ve seen you swim. I know what you can do. You don’t need to show off to me. Honestly, I’ll be more impressed if you can learn the routine than if you can outswim me during  _ warm ups _ .”

Ben looks absolutely livid, but before he can form a retort, Maz is at the pool deck leaning over them, scowling. “Enough! Figures time. Rey, show him ballet leg.”

“Nope. No way.”

Rey looks over at Ben. He hasn’t even  _ tried _ yet.

“Do you have a problem, Mr. Solo?” Maz asks, her voice slow and firm and clearly warning him to watch what he says next.

“I don’t do swim moves with feminine names. I’m a man. I do  _ real _ swimming. It’s embarrassing enough that I’m doing this at all.”

“You swim the butterfly,” Rey says under her breath.

Ben’s glare could shoot daggers. Rey ignores him. At the edge of the pool, Maz stands up and adjusts her glasses on her face as she leans over the edge to look closer at him. “You think you’re too tough to start with the basics?” she challenges him. “Alright then. I’m going to have Rey do a sequence. You watch and then copy. Ready?”

“That’s more like it,” Ben nods, like he’s just gotten his way and it’s going to turn out in his favor.

“Leg combo number one, Rey,” Maz instructs.

Rey smirks at Ben before sliding her nose clip on and soaring out into the deep end. She starts on her back, does one backstroke, and then twists around, head underwater, legs on the surface. She’s in pike position, and then porpoise, add bent right knee, kick out left leg two times fast, back into porpoise, twist down to ankles, barracuda split three-sixty, and resurface. She looks smug.

“What the fuck was that?” Ben asks. He can't wrap his head around what he just saw, never mind how to imitate it. Anger floods him as he realizes they're messing with him.

“Leg combo number one,” Rey replies simply as she swims back to him.

Ben looks up at Maz, like he’s asking for her help, like she didn’t just set him up for that. “Now like I was saying,” Maz says. “Rey will demonstrate figures, you will copy. If you’re lucky, we’ll talk you through them. She’ll do each one twice. Watch above water first, underwater second. Then copy. Understood?”

Silently, Ben nods.

The entire practice goes on like that. They don’t listen to music or learn any of the routine. Instead, they spend four hours in the pool, teaching Ben each figure, one by one. He hasn’t mastered them by any means, but he’s learning. “Rey, go to lunch,” Maz says at noon. “I’m going to have him do scull laps to wrap up.”

“Scull. Much better. You should have led with that,” Ben says.

Maz glares at him. “They’re not as fun as they sound,” Rey says with a pleased sort of smile on her face. “Just laps up and down the pool… but you don’t use your arms  _ and _ legs at the same time. Just one or the other.”

“But that’ll slow you down.”

“Speed isn’t the point,” Rey replies. “Like I said… not as fun as they sound - especially for you.” She hops out of the pool easily and turns to look over the edge at Ben. She pulls off her nose clip, goggles, and swim cap as she says, “Not bad for your first day, though. My last partner was more of a natural, but I think you’ll do.”

She’s feeling confident after that practice, like maybe they have a chance yet. Ben opens his mouth to say something, but Rey doesn’t want the mood ruined. She just walks along the deck, towards the locker room, so she can wrap up in a towel and go have something to eat before the team practices from one until six.

This is going to mean incredibly long days for the next eight weeks, but Rey wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s easier to keep her mind off of things when she’s busy practicing.

\---

“Mom, she’s insufferable. I’m not going back.”

Leia sits at the dinner table in their hotel room, the little suite with two rooms and a kitchen, their temporary home for the next seven and a half weeks before making the trip to Tokyo. She ignores her son’s complaints entirely, choosing instead to focus on the lukewarm takeout on the table in front of them.

Ben is going to rant, and she’s going to pretend to listen, and that’s how this goes. It’s how this  _ always _ goes.

“We didn’t even learn the routine today. Just stupid moves. They just kept saying ‘ _ point your toes, Ben _ ’ or ‘ _ slow down, Ben _ ’ and I can’t  _ stand _ it!” Ben slams his fist on the table.

Leia looks up at her son and wonders if persuading him into this was, in fact, the best decision. He seems so tense, so unbearably frustrated, that he’s going to burst in a way that will not end well. Frowning, she asks, “Are you going to quit? No more Olympics?”

“I’m going to the Olympics.”

Sighing, Leia sets down her chopsticks. She goes to the fridge where she’s got a meager supply of groceries chilling, and comes back with a bottle of wine and two glasses. Leia pours each of them a chilled glass of white, even though Ben’s not supposed to drink when he’s training for the Olympics. He studies his mother curiously; she’s never bent the rules like that, not when he’s been training to be the best.

“So you think I should quit?” Ben asks quietly.

He feels an ache in his chest; he’s used to his mom pushing him for more, expecting more, but not being disappointed when he gives up. Now she seems disappointed, and it’s irritating him. 

“Take a drink, and then I’ll tell you what I think.” Curiously, Ben obeys. After he takes a drink, he sets down his glass and waits.

“I think you need to grow up,” she says bluntly.

Ben would usually take offense to that accusation, but somehow it doesn’t surprise him now. A part of him knows that he’s being completely petulant, but another part of him would argue that his reaction to this Olympic qualifier competition is totally justified. When he doesn’t speak, Ben’s mother continues.

“I know that you wanted to swim in these Olympics. And I wanted that  _ for you _ because I know how much it means to you. I don’t agree with their decision any more than you do but you’re putting entirely too much effort on bucking the system when it’s not going to budge. You have to take that negativity and turn it into something positive, not something even more negative. You have to take this last-chance opportunity to compete at the Olympics and prove to that committee and those judges that they were fools for not sending you in your best category. But Ben - I also do think it’s time to ask yourself why you’re doing this, and when it will end. There is so much more left for you to do, and if your father hasn’t paid attention in the last ten years… I love you dearly, but Ben, if he hasn’t noticed your efforts by now, he’s not going to.”

“He’s a bastard. I don’t know why you married him.”

Leia looks at her son sadly. “Yes you do,” she says softly. “Whirlwind romance, shotgun wedding. I know you know the feeling.”

Ben’s icy cold walls go up. They swore to never talk about that.

Leia’s expression softens. “What happened then is not going to happen now,” she says. “You’re going to learn the moves and the routine, and you’re going to take it to Tokyo and compete with that girl who’s feeling just as lost as desperate and frustrated as you are. You two are going to do your best, hope for a medal, and when it’s done, then we’ll figure things out from there.”

Even though there’s a glare on his face, aimed right at his mother, Leia knows that her son isn’t mad at her. She can see in his eyes that he’s scared - he’s screwed up before, he can’t do it again. He won’t. He’s spent years trying to prove that he’s not that naive child he once was - that he’s stronger and better and worthy of his father’s attention.

Leia covers Ben’s hand with her own. “You finish that, and then have some extra water before bed, and go back to the pool first thing tomorrow,” Leia says. “That girl has worked too hard to have her first and only chance at a medal go down the drain because you’re too thick headed.”

\---

Rey is pleasantly surprised at how willing Ben is to learn the next day. He doesn’t speak unless he’s asking a question about a move, but it’s a welcome improvement to the sour mood he’d been in on their first day.

Maz makes them do figures and nothing else during that first week, but it’s probably for the best. They’ve got no chance at doing a full routine well unless Ben can master as many of the little moves first as possible, especially not a tech routine which requires them to demonstrate that they have these figures mastered. Rey walks him through each one, demonstrating as many times as he needs. 

The closest he comes to an explosion is when they’re practicing [ballet leg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aHm7EkPC9A&t=33s). It’s one of the very first figures anyone learns when they join the sport, but it’s also one of the most challenging. It requires every muscle in one’s body to be engaged, arms sculling, supporting the body as the body stays as flat and still against the surface of the water as possible. Only one leg can move - first bringing the foot to the level of the knee next to it, forming an angle that resembles a ballerina’s leg on the surface of the water. Then the leg must come up, up, up, until the legs are at a ninety degree angle: one on the surface of the water, one pointing directly upwards.

Flexibility isn’t Ben’s strong suit, and that’s something they hadn’t accounted for.

Maz tells Rey to lift his leg higher, to show him where it  _ should _ be, so he can feel it. He gets there, but then he grunts in frustration, his other leg dropping below the surface of the water. It’s hard to focus, keeping arms down at his sides, sculling water back and forth beneath him to keep him level with the surface of the water,  _ and _ move his leg up.

Rey lifts his leg again, but then helps bring the other one to the surface. “This is how it should feel,” she says softly.

Ben hisses and drops both legs in the water, choosing instead to just tread water for a moment, catch his breath, reign in his frustration. “Alright, out of the water, both of you,” Maz says. It’s only ten thirty.

They obey, and Rey watches Ben like he’s a bomb about to go off. He’s red-faced, and not the way he usually is from practicing. She’s annoyed that he’s giving up so easily today - he’s been fine the past  _ three days _ \- but it’s a difficult sport. Part of her understands the frustration completely.

“Tomorrow’s Friday, and my treat to you is that we’re spending half the day out of the water,” Maz says, like her idea is some sort of favor or reward. Rey knows what that means, and she’s not looking forward to it. “We will meet in the gym tomorrow at eight, instead.” She looks pointedly at Ben and says, “Wear something stretchy. We’re going to work on that flexibility.”

Ben glares at Maz, but Maz blessedly says nothing about it. Instead, she just turns and leaves the pool. Rey has only seen Maz go off on someone once, and it’s a terrifying thing. Not even Ben, who’s probably two full heads taller than her, could withstand Maz’s rage, not even if he wanted to try. She’s glad they didn’t have to see Maz’s bad side that day. Ben huffs when she doesn’t acknowledge his anger, instead turning to Rey. “Don’t look at  _ me _ ,” Rey says simply. “I’m just here to compete.”

“Well you can’t do that without me, so,” Ben says lamely.

Rey rolls her eyes. “I’m still competing,” she tells him, tugging off her goggles and swim cap. “I’m also in the team routines.” She twists her nose clip around the strap of her swimsuit and starts to dry off as they walk towards the doors to the locker rooms at the other end of the pool.

“So why do you need this?” he asks, following her stride. “This stupid male and female duet?”

“It’s not stupid,” she says automatically.

Ben smirks. He’s trying to get under her skin, and so far, it seems to be working. “Is it that you can’t meet a man any other way? You’ve got to try to rope him in like this?” he asks. “Because based on how often you’re here, I’d guess you don’t have a boyfriend. Or siblings. Your parents, though… I expected to see at least one of those around. Parents always hover, especially parents of Olympians.”

“Stop it,” Rey warns, her voice dangerous but soft.

“So that’s it, huh? You want this duet so you can be close to a man,” Ben smirks. “Creepy.”

“That’s not it at all,” Rey lashes out. She looks up at him for the first time since his stupid rambling began. “And even if it was, why would I keep you around, then? You’re a giant child. You’re spoiled rotten and completely self-centered and if I hadn’t made this promise to my parents I’d have given up on this stupid duet the moment I set eyes on you!”

Ben puts his hand to his heart mockingly and says, “Aw, how sweet. You promised your parents.” His expression goes sour. “Well, you should learn not to make promises you can’t keep. I’ll try my best but I wouldn’t hold your breath for a medal on this one.”

“Why stick around at all if you’re not going to  _ try _ ?” Rey asks, a hint of desperation in her voice now.

“Don’t be stupid,” Ben says simply. “I’m going to try. But turning a speed swimmer into a synchronized swimmer isn’t going to turn out as well as you all think. It’d be like trying to make a hockey player into a figure skater. They’re completely different things in the same environment. Totally different skill sets.”

“Not entirely.”

“Look -,” Ben stops and turns to look down at Rey. He sighs. “I’m trying, but it’s hard to care about something when I  _ don’t care _ .”

Rey looks unimaginably frustrated at his nonchalance. This is the  _ Olympics _ . Everyone should care if they’re putting their lives on hold to compete at something as major like this. He’s probably never had to sacrifice a thing in his life to get where he is, whereas Rey sacrificed  _ everything _ . And he’s got no idea. And he’s just going to throw it all away.

Eyes narrowed, Rey hisses, “If you don’t care, you shouldn’t bother showing up.”

She disappears into the locker room before Ben can even open his mouth to argue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be on the lookout for a new chapter either tomorrow or the day after!


	3. Chapter 3: Are You In or Are You Out?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben's tired of learning the building blocks of synchro; he'd much rather skip ahead to the routine. Frustration mounts for everyone involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my goodness, the reception to this has blown me away! I hope that the fic continues to keep your interest, and that with some of these videos, I can share how amazing synchronized swimming is with the rest of you!
> 
> Stay tuned - I'll share a video of a mixed duet or two as the story goes on, so you can see what it looks like!

Rey takes Friday morning off, deciding instead to join Jess and Rose in the pool for some extra practice time before the team routine practices that day. Maz said she didn’t need to be in the gym if she didn’t want to be, fully understanding Rey’s exasperation with Ben and acknowledging that she doesn’t need to work on her flexibility. Maz promises to whip Ben into shape so they can start working on the routine the next day, and Rey is grateful for Maz’s understanding, and the reprieve.

As it turns out, the whole team decided to gather that morning at nine. Rey had been so wrapped up in worrying about whether Ben would keep showing up and keep learning, she’d neglected to enjoy the presence of her perfectly amicable teammates. She’d forgotten how nice it is to laugh with her teammates, to spend time with their slightly-less-tough and much younger assistant coach Phasma.

They run through the free routine lift at least a dozen times, Rey doing her best as the second tier lifter to launch their tiny teammate Kaydel Connix into the air where she does a [backflip before landing in the water](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2gUX4xMZq8) (0:00-0:24). Rey has someone boosting her up in the water as she does the same to Connix while she’s got hold of Connix’s right leg, and they run that time and time again. When Phasma finally lets them put it back in the routine with music, Rey gets the eerie feeling of eyes on her.

She doesn’t look to her left, to the wall of windows where three storeys of the building have glass windows overlooking the Olympic sized pool of this swim club. She knows people stop to watch all the time, but something about this particular moment leaves her feeling nervous and jittery. As Rey takes her place at the edge of the pool in formation with her teammates, ready to run the routine, she chances a glance up. Sure enough, there on the third floor, in the hallway outside the gym, stand Maz and Ben, watching the team routine.

But then the music starts and Rey switches into what her teammates affectionately call ‘beast mode,’ where they block out the rest of the world except each other and perform the routine. The lift goes better than it did in qualifiers, which is an immense relief to all of them, but sure enough, after they finish the three and a half minute routine, Phasma gives them a bunch of things to work on. Sharper kicks. More controlled boosts. Bigger smiles. It’s a lot, but they won’t win a medal unless they heed all of the last-minute advice.

“Alright. That’s enough free routine. Go have a lunch break,” Phasma instructs. “When we get back, it’s time to work on the tech routine.”

When Rey looks up again, Ben is gone. While his opinion shouldn’t matter at all, she can’t help but wonder what he thought of the routine. For some insane reason, his opinion suddenly matters to her. She doesn’t like that at all.

In the hallway outside the locker rooms, the eight women on the USA Olympic synchro team sit and eat protein-packed lunches on the floor, chattering about nothing in particular. “So, Rey,” Jess begins. “How’s the new synchro partner?”

“He’s… interesting.”

“We’ve heard whispers that it’s Kylo Ren. Is that true?” Connix leans over to ask.

Rey takes a bite of her sandwich and then nods. “Yeah,” she says with a full mouth. “It’s Kylo Ren.”

Jess and Rose exchange glances. “I don’t know how you do it,” Rose confesses. “He’s… _distracting_.”

Rolling her eyes, Rey says, “Please don’t ogle my duet partner.”

“Please, ogle all you’d like.”

All eight women’s heads snap in the direction of the deep baritone voice interrupting them. Several of them flush when they realize it’s none other than _the_ Kylo Ren. Rey quickly returns to eating her lunch. “You ladies looked good in there,” says Ben with a cocky smirk. “Rey certainly doesn’t need _me_ if she’d like to win a medal.”

“Please,” Connix rolls her eyes. “That routine we’re good with. It’s the tech routine that sucks.”

“You have another one?” Kylo asks.

Rey sighs. “Yes. If you knew anything about synchro or _cared_ about the sport, you’d know that every team and every duet takes two routines with them to the Olympics: a tech and a free. Tech routines require certain combinations of figures, and they’re slightly shorter. Free routines can be as creative as you’d like. Each is worth fifty percent of your final ranking,” she explains, sounding rather annoyed.

Rose elbows Rey roughly. “Be nice,” she mutters.

“Thank you, but I’m well aware that Rey here isn’t fond of me,” Kylo says. He puts on a charming smile and asks, “What are your names?”

And that’s how Rey finds herself at the end of a line of eight women, and the only one who’s _not_ swooning over Ben. He’s truly a charmer, she’ll grant him that, but this is _her_ team and _her_ found family and she will _not_ have him coming in and stealing them away from her.

“Look - as nice as it is that you’ve finally taken an interest in something, it’s time for us to get back to work,” Rey says. She looks at her teammates, many of whom are looking at her with less than friendly expressions for interrupting their conversation with one of the best swimmers in the country. “We have to really clean up our tech routine.”

“Can I join you?” he asks with a smirk.

The girls are immediately nodding and agreeing, and Rey can do nothing but resign herself to her fate. Ben follows them into the pool and sits on the bleachers near Phasma. Even Phasma is caught off guard by Ben’s double-act, all caught up in his charm and his charisma. Rey sees right through it. They get into the pool and begin working on the tech routine, Ben sitting and watching the entire time. It’s infuriating to Rey, because his gaze is heavy and makes her nervous. She feels like she’s under a microscope.

She lets that affect her swimming, too, and by the time they finish practicing several hours later, Rey has been admonished and corrected more times than the other seven women combined.

When people tease her about having performance anxiety around Ben, Rey pretends not to hear them. She most certainly does _not_ want to admit that he makes her nervous, and even more so doesn’t want to admit that yes, like the rest, she finds his smug expression and charisma when he’s in groups to be _very_ attractive.

\---

Finn calls that night, since he’s got surgery the next day, to ask Rey how she’s doing. She’s curled up in bed, just the bedside table lamp on, phone pressed to her ear. Her hotel roommate, Rose, is out with her sister Paige, so she’s got the room to herself for a while.

“How are you holding up?” Finn asks. “Did Maz find you a new partner?”

Rey sighs and curls her knees a little closer to her chest. “I’m alright,” she replies. “Working hard. I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, Rey,” Finn says. His voice is full of remorse as he says, “I’m so sorry I let you down.”

“It’s alright,” Rey insists. The last thing she wants is for him to go into surgery and then back to Oregon feeling guilty about this whole thing. “I got a new partner. He’s not nearly as nice or talented as you, though.”

Finn chuckles at that. “Who is he? Do I know him?”

“Probably,” she replies. “Kylo Ren. The speed swimmer.”

Finn lets out a whistle. “Lucky girl.”

“Stop that!” Rey laughs. “He’s not as pretty up close. And his personality is atrocious.”

There’s amusement in both of their voices, though. “I saw the news that Hux beat Ren out for the spot at the Olympics but I hadn’t expected him to try to go some other way,” Finn says. “The whole thing is bullshit, though. Tell him I say that.”

Rey smiles. “I’ll tell him. Boost his ego a little before we crush him with the tech routine,” she says. “I’m not sure we’ll get a rank much higher than seventh, at the rate he’s learning.”

“Give him a chance,” Finn insists. “He’s doing you a favor just as much as you’re doing him a favor. He’s trying.”

“Not very hard.”

Finn is quiet for a moment. Rey can hear his smile fading, she knows him that well. “I’m sorry I let you down. I know how much this event meant to you,” he says.

“My parents would understand,” Rey says softly. She presses her eyes closed and wills her lower lip to stop trembling. If it doesn’t, Finn will hear the tremor in her voice and know she’s near tears.

“I know they would, but it’s not them I’m worried about. It’s you,” Finn replies. “I’m sorry you couldn’t get a more cooperative replacement for me, and I’m sorry I can’t be there to help you through this.”

Rey sniffles. “You’re going to make me cry,” she says.

Finn chuckles, though there’s a sadness in his voice. “Your parents would be _so proud_ of you, Rey. _So_ proud,” Finn says.

“They were better,” she retorts.

“I’ve seen footage of them together,” Finn replies. “I saw how they swam as a duet. They were good. And your mom, in her team routines? She was a stand-out star. She was _amazing_ . But - and I’m being totally objective here, okay? - You’re even better. You’ve got the synchro skills of both your parents _combined_.”

Now Rey is well and truly crying, a few tears falling on her pillow. “You have to say that. You’re my best friend,” she sniffles, trying to laugh away her embarrassing tears.

“No, I mean it, Rey,” Finn says. He’s very serious now; his duty is to make sure Rey sees her talent, keeps it going. She’s the daughter of two highly accomplished synchronized swimmers, a mixed duet pair that never got to compete together. Mixed duets weren’t allowed until this year, at the 2020 Olympics. “You are incredibly talented. And I know that no matter how things turn out with Kylo, you’re not done. If you don’t win that medal this year, you and I are going to get back in that pool as soon as I’m better and work our asses off for the 2024 Olympics. We will make this dream of yours come true.”

Rey laughs through her tears. “Go find your boyfriend and tell him to make you stop being so damn supportive,” she says. “I’m too tired and emotional. I can’t handle it.”

“Alright, I’ll stop,” Finn insists. Rey hears the smile back on his face, and only then realizes she’s wearing one, too. “Just don’t lose hope, okay? No matter how absolutely evil Kylo may seem. He’s giving you a shot you didn’t think you had a week ago. That’s something.”

“I know,” Rey says softly. “You’re right. It’s something.”

\---

For most, the weekend would mean time off, but not for Olympians. Everyone meets at the swim club at least eight hours per day, sometimes more. Rey is back at eight in the morning, as always, but this time she’s in sweatpants and a tee shirt, something from an old state synchro competition in Oregon, in high school.

Ben walks into the small dance room wearing gear from past Olympics from head to toe. It’s a bit pretentious, but Rey resolves to tell herself it’s simply motivation, not bragging. “Why aren’t we in the pool?” Ben asks. “Maz just told me to come up here and practice with you.”

Rey nods. Maz is busy coaching the team’s other duet, swam by Connix and their team alternate Koo Millham, so it’s up to her to teach Ben alone. “We finally get to start the routines,” Rey says. “We’ll be doing the technical routine today, which requires a little more work.”

“Again - why aren’t we in the pool?” Ben asks.

“The pool is currently occupied with our female duet, practicing. They get the pool until noon,” she explains. “We’re the only mixed duet. Besides, it’s always better to learn the routine on land before you try to put it in the water.”

“But then how-?”

“I’ll show you.”

Rey takes charge right away, showing Ben the various ways to hold and move his arms, to signify moves both with arms and with legs. It’s called [land-drilling](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZJgpUq6-QE&t=133s), and it helps them put moves to counts without needing to be in the water. Ben is a decent sport about it, only complaining a little bit whenever the arm movement feels particularly awkward. Once Rey has explained each figure, Ben asks, “How is this supposed to help in the water? It’s a lot to remember.”

“It becomes natural with practice,” she explains. “It’s one of the only ways to make sure everyone keeps the routine fresh in mind when they can’t get in the pool. It also helps to clarify counts. You _can_ keep a beat, right?”

“I can count and follow the beat in music, yes,” Ben says with exasperation.

“Just checking,” Rey rolls her eyes. She hadn’t meant to offend.

Ben wanders across the room to have a drink of water before he asks, “So, do we _finally_ get to do the routine now? With any luck I’ll get to hear the music by the day we compete.”

Rey puts her hands on her hips. “I don’t need your attitude, okay? I am _trying_ here. Harder than you, it feels like,” she snaps. “We’re trying to teach you in a way that will be less overwhelming. We’re only drawing it out like this to try to _help_.”

“Well then _help me_ by teaching me the goddamn routine!” Ben snaps.

They’re toe to toe, quite literally. The room has a wall of mirrors, with a barre, and is usually used for dance groups. Rey feels him looming above her, can see in the reflection that they’re close - too close - and her cheeks are growing hotter as she looks up at him. She pretends that she’s blushing from rage, and not something else.

“Fine,” she says softly.

This wasn’t how she’d hoped her mixed duet career would go. She’d dreamt of something like her parents had, and was at least halfway there with Finn. If he hadn’t been gay, she might have echoed her parents’ path completely - except for the tragedy at the end, of course.

Rey steps away from Ben, ignoring the way his dark eyes follow her around the room, the way his expression is far less intense than it had been seconds before. He’d seen something in her eyes to soften his expression, and she wasn’t about to ask or hang around waiting for him to bring it up. Instead, she took her place at one side of the room and pointed next to her. “You stand here,” she instructs.

From there, she begins to walk Ben through the movements. First, she shows him how they’re to stand on the edge of the pool, her in front of him, the two of them standing in the same position, as though Ben’s a shadow of her. And then it’s the moves.

_“One, two, three, four, pike! six, seven eight…”_

It’s about halfway through when Rey realizes she’s actually going to have to _touch_ him. Her face colors, and she hesitates before explaining the next move. “This is the part where you lift me,” she says. “ _Throw_ me, technically speaking, but I don’t want you to take that the wrong way.”

“I throw you? Like you girls did for your teammate yesterday?” he asks.

Rey nods. “With two people it’s a little different. Remember that boost we taught you? How to launch up by shooting your arms and legs down quickly?” she asks. Ben nods. “You do that, but entirely underwater. I stand on your shoulders and leap off. I’ll do a front somersault and _hopefully_ land feet first in the water in front of you.”

“What do you mean, hopefully?” he asks.

“If you don’t get us the height we need, I can only do so much to try to land feet first. The first few times Finn and I did it, I back-flopped… hard. I’d rather not do that again,” she explains. Rey looks up at Ben. “I’ve never been particularly fond of lifts so… even if you make light of the rest of the routine, please take this part seriously.”

Rey expects him to become indignant, or perhaps a little offended. When she watches his expression, though, all she sees is hurt. “I know you think I’m doing this as a joke, but come on… do you think I really want to embarrass us in front of the entire world?” Ben replies. “I’m trying. I don’t really care about this sport. It’s hard, and it’s not what I’ve trained for. But my god, do you really think so low of me that you think I’d screw up something on purpose? Especially something you’re afraid of?”

“I never said I was afraid,” Rey retorts defensively.

Ben sighs. “Look… trust goes both ways. I’m putting a lot of trust in you and Maz, who seem to think this sport is something I can master enough to medal in at the Olympics in seven weeks. So cut me some slack, okay?”

Rey narrows her eyes. “You come into this, complain about everything along the way, charm all my teammates into thinking that you could never do something so monstrous, and now you want me to just _trust_ you?” she asks incredulously. “You’re unbelievable.”

With a hint of frustration, Ben puts his hands on Rey’s upper arms and leans down to look her in the eyes. “If you don’t trust me to help you win this, why do you keep showing up?” he asks. “I’m here. I keep coming to practice. I keep trying. Why isn’t that enough?”

He stands up and steps away from Rey, and she sees the look of hurt and frustration on his face. It’s true, his anger has subsided, and he’s started trying more. He earnestly asks questions and she’s seen him stay late a day or two this past week, even after the coaches have left. She opens her mouth to speak, but he’s already taken his water bottle and retreated to the hall.

Break time, then.

Their only conversation is business for the rest of the day - two more hours of nothing but moving their arms around and walking up and down the room, trying to move in perfect synchronicity. Ben is good with music, and Rey feels a twinge of guilt as she realizes she’d been really harsh on him that day. He was trying - _really trying_ \- and it meant more to her than she could vocalize.

As they packed up their bags to go downstairs to the pool, ready for their turn, Rey glanced up at Ben. “I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions and not being fair with you,” she says. “It’s no excuse, but I’ve been very stressed lately, and… this event. It’s -”

“Why does it mean so much to you?” Ben asks. “You still get to swim with your team.”

Deciding that there’s no better time to trust and tell the truth than the present, Rey opens her mouth. The door opens a split second later, Koo and Connix wandering in, hair wet from the pool. They’re chattering away about something completely unrelated to synchro, but stop dead when they see Rey and Ben. “Oh, sorry for interrupting!” Connix says, surprised to see the room is occupied.

“Do you two need a minute?” Koo asks.

Ben glances at Rey, who shakes her head. “No. We were just going down to the pool,” she explains.

Ben follows as Rey walks quickly from the room, and they both ignore the giggles and Koo’s shout of, “Have fun!” as they leave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Stay tuned - at least one chapter will be coming to you this weekend! xx


	4. Chapter 4: Getting to Know You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey's coaches decide it's time she and Ben start working on the lifts. A bad day turns into a day full of new developments all around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks for your continued support! A longer chapter for you. Plenty of development here! 
> 
> My apologies, I can't actually find a video of the lift Rey and Ben practice in this chapter. It's not difficult to imagine though if you know what a forward roll looks like!

Somewhere between the dance room and the end of the month, Rey and Ben form a sort of truce. They don’t criticize each other, but they don’t overshare. They also avoid lifts for as long as possible. Rey always finds some reason or other to avoid them, until finally she can’t any longer. 

Maz and Phasma both stand at the edge of the pool, three weeks into Ben’s training, and they don’t let it be avoided any longer. “Alright, it’s lifts, all day today,” Maz says. “No excuses, Rey.”

“You’ve been doing them for years,” Phasma reminds her. “There’s nothing to be scared of.”

Rey adjusts her nose clip and looks at Ben, who’s watching her with an unreadable gaze. He knows she’s not the most comfortable with lifts, but he can’t decide if it has to do with her, or him. “Did you do them with Finn?” Ben asks.

Avoiding his eyes, Rey says, “Yes, but it wasn’t easy.” They’re treading water, and she knows they’re going to get worn out if they keep doing this instead of just jumping in and trying. “Let’s… I don’t know. I guess we should just try.”

“Let’s go with the tech routine lift first. Easy shoulder lift, Rey goes forward in a front roll,” Maz instructs. “Ben, all we need you to do is go underwater and make sure Rey is securely footed on your shoulders. Hold her ankles to get her feet at a good place on your shoulders where you won’t get hurt. Your head should be at least six inches underwater. Stay crouched and push yourself up as high as you can, and don’t hold onto her when you do that. Rey will do the rest.”

“What should I do after I boost?” he asks.

“We’ll worry about that once we figure out if this lift will even still work,” Maz says, waving his question aside.

Ben nods and tries to tell Rey through his gaze that he’s taking this task very seriously. They get in formation, Rey in front of Ben, and together they wait for Phasma to count them off in the microphone that amplifies her voice underwater, keeping them on count.

_ Sink: one two… _

_ Rey lines up on Ben’s shoulders: three four five six seven… _

_ Ben’s arms and legs out, Rey’s arms out: eight… _

_ Boost! _

Rey hardly makes it into the air, her knees giving out on her when she tries to stand up on his shoulders. Ben fumbles out for Rey as he watches her tumble haphazardly into the water. His eyes show alarm, but the praise he hears from Maz and Phasma contradicts the worry he feels. “Ben, do exactly that, except for the reaching out at the end,” Maz says. “Rey knows what she has to do. You don’t need to try to catch her.”

He looks over at Rey, who is avoiding everyone’s eyes in shame. She couldn’t do it. It’s different with Finn; they’re just friends, but they’re best friends. His touch is reassuring. She trusts him with her life. But Ben -- as soon as she’d felt his hands on her ankles, securing her, supporting her -- something in her switched off and she forgot how to think. She was supposed to stand on his shoulders but instead she just fumbled forward, probably leaving bruises on his shoulders as she did so.

It’s a mortifying mistake.

A mistake she shouldn’t be making so close to the Olympic games. Moves like this are easy - the only challenge is the height. So why is she choking?

“It’s alright,” Ben says, and it’s probably the kindest tone he’s ever taken with her. He half-heartedly splashes a little water at her, but doesn’t touch her, instead letting her continue treading water just out of reach. “Let’s try it again.”

So they try again. And again. And again.

One in probably ten attempts actually results in Rey doing her part - standing up and launching herself into a forward roll midair. As she’d feared, she keeps landing with a hard  _ smack! _ on her back on the surface of the water. She’s grateful that Ben doesn’t once laugh about it.

“Good god, Rey, what’s going on!?” Maz shouts. “I thought you wanted to win a medal in the Olympics? You’re falling apart!” It’s not often that Maz’s angry side comes out like this. Ben scoots away in the water a little, further from the pool deck, further from Maz’s rage. “You’re choking on one of the  _ easiest  _ elements of your routine!” Phasma stays quiet; she agrees with Maz, that Rey is choking on something relatively simple compared to the other routine elements, but if she disagrees with Maz’s coaching methods, she bites her tongue.

“Go take a five minute break. Drink some water and  _ focus your mind _ !” Maz shouts. She turns to Ben looking far more relaxed than she had a split second sooner. “You, dear - why don’t you grab some water, too? You’ve been working awfully hard.”

Dumbfounded by Maz’s outburst, he swims to the edge of the pool. Rey is already out of the water and headed for the bleachers where her water and some snacks lay. She sits down with an angry  _ plop! _ the bleachers reverberating with the impact of her angry, snap movements. Ben takes his time walking to the bleachers, his things just a little ways down the same bench. He eyes Rey with curiosity and confusion.

She’s always seemed so put together, a natural leader who knows everything. A team captain. The expert. It feels out of character for her to be failing so spectacularly, especially given if anyone is likely to screw this up, it should be him. Rey notices Ben sitting down and pivots on her seat, turning her back to him. Ben takes a drink of his water and lets her have a moment of peace.

He’s perfectly content leaving her to cool down in peace until he hears sniffling, followed by a sob.

She’s crying.

Rey, this incredibly strong-willed woman who’s never shown anything but perseverance and stubbornness is now crumpled in on herself, arms to her chest, knees drawn up, eyes squished shut as she cries. She pulls her head down, hides it in her knees, and Ben wonders if he should just look away. He’s not meant to be seeing this. Rey is having a private moment, a private breakdown.

He looks desperately to Maz and Phasma, but they’re both standing with their backs to the bleachers, engrossed in some conversation he has no business intruding upon.

With more care and hesitation than Ben has probably ever exhibited in his life, he stands and walks down the way to gently take a seat on the bench right next to Rey. Helplessly, awkwardly, he reaches out, taking entirely too much time to decide whether or not he’s actually going to do this.

Before he has a chance to decide, Rey glances over her shoulder and notices him, his hand hovering somewhere behind her. She wipes at her nose, letting the snot cake on her arm in a rather disgusting manner. Her eyes are puffy and red, but she’s trying her very best to gain composure. “I’m sorry,” he says gently.

Ben decides to go through with it, to put his hand on her back, rubbing the damp skin in what he hopes is a comforting manner. “Why are you apologizing?” she asks weakly. “I’m the one who’s failing us.  _ Me _ . After you put your dislike of this sport aside to try to help me.”

“I never said I disliked it,” Ben argues. “I said I didn’t care. I didn’t have an opinion on it.” Rey snorts. Now isn’t the time to quibble over words. “I’m apologizing because you’re clearly frustrated and I should have stood up for you,” he offers.

“You don’t need to stand up for me. I can take care of myself.”

She’s always been fiercely independent, and Ben doesn’t know the first thing about Rey or her family, but he wonders if their mysterious absence has something to do with this  _ lone wolf _ mentality of hers. “I don’t doubt that at all,” he says to her simply. “But if we’re supposed to swim as a team, we should start acting like a team.”

Rey peeks over her shoulder again, tears subsided at least for now. With one eyebrow raised, she asks, “Who are you and what have you done with Ben?”

He rubs a hand down her back again and she shivers; whether it’s from her touch or the cool air outside the pool, he’s not sure. “You wanted a more trustworthy swim partner. Someone who cares,” he replies with a shrug. “I’m trying.”

Rey lowers her legs, shivering some more as the cool air surrounding the pool hits more of her skin. Ben’s arm slides fully around her shoulders and she angles toward him, just a little. “You asked me why this matters so much to me,” she says in a small voice. She’s too strong and independent to be speaking so small; Ben aches as he hears it. “If you really want to know, I’ll tell you.”

“I want to know,” Ben nods. He sees their coaches turn towards them. Their five minutes must be up. “But I want you to tell me when you’re less upset. Right now we have to get in the pool and keep trying to do these lifts.”

Rey sniffles again.

His answer is the most respectful thing she’s ever heard come out of his mouth, and she can feel her opinions of him crumbling in her head. He’s a completely different person behind the frustration and anger she’d seen when they first met. There are a lot of layers to him - more, she knows, than she will ever be able to see - but this conversation feels a lot like progress.

\---

As always, when Ben walks into his hotel room, his mom is right there on her computer, working on something. She serves as advisory to a few athletic committees back in his hometown, not big work like she used to do before his Olympic dreams. She’d once worked in local politics back where he grew up. Now, though… she didn’t work much. She didn’t need to, because Han paid for everything.

“Hey Ben, how was practice?”

His dark hair is still damp, but he seems to be in a relatively good mood, at least compared to how he used to come home - frustrated and ready to break things. 

Setting down his duffel bag, Ben shrugs and digs around their almost-empty fridge as he says, “Not very good.”

“What did you do?” his mother asks in a warning tone.

Affronted, Ben slams the fridge door shut. “Why would you assume it was me?”

“That poor girl sure isn’t going to screw off in practice,” Leia replies. “You and I both know you don’t care much about this sport.”

Ben sighs with exasperation and digs around the few cupboards in their kitchenette as he says, “If you must know, I think the stress is getting to her. We spent five hours on lifts and she couldn’t get them. She had a breakdown in the middle of practice and everything. And before you ask - no, it wasn’t my fault. The coaches said I was doing everything I was supposed to. Rey just kept choking on the move.”

Leia looks rightly put in her place. She’s also pleasantly surprised and filled with a little pride to hear that Ben had put aside his feelings on the sport and actually tried for once. “I’m sorry,” she says, taken aback. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“Thank you,” Ben replies tersely.

His phone buzzes and Ben reads the text message over with a raised eyebrow before he says, “Let’s order some pizza for tonight.”

Leia looks at Ben curiously and asks, “Why?”

“I need a pizza for someone else,” he responds.

Not that Ben would admit it even if she asked, but Leia already knows the pizza is for Rey. She’s been in touch with the coaches as well, hoping to make sure her son doesn’t step out of line. She doesn’t trust his tantrums sometimes; they come at the most unpredictable of moments, and she doesn’t want anyone else to end up in an uncomfortable position.

Nodding her silent agreement, Leia pulls up a website for a nearby pizza place and turns the screen to Ben, letting him order whatever he wants.

\---

**Unknown Number:** hey what are you doing right now?

Rey stares at her phone for a moment, thoroughly confused. She doesn’t usually get text messages - anyone who’d text her either sees her daily, or is Finn, whose number is saved in her phone.

**Rey:** Who is this?

**Unknown Number:** ben. im bored and hungry.

**Rey:** How did you get my number?

**Unknown Number:** unimportant. i have pizza. open up.

**Rey:** How do you know where I am!?

Rather than responding, Rey hears a knock at her door. Her heart his pounding in her chest; she doesn’t know whether to be creeped out or touched that he decided to spend his Saturday night after a horrendous practice trying to get Rey to open her hotel room door and spend some time with him.

She pulls on a hoodie over her sports bra as she walks over to the door, bare feet padding on the soft carpet. When she opens up, Ben is standing there with a pizza in hand looking incredibly uncomfortable and slightly nervous. “How did you get my number?” she asks. “And more importantly, how did you find my room?”

“Your friends are easy to talk to,” he says simply. He leaves out the part where they told him he should ask her out or make a move on her now that he had this information. “I brought pizza.” He holds out the pizza box. “Can I come in?”

Rey glances over her shoulder; of course her teammates are in on this. That explains why Rose suddenly had plans with her sister that she “forgot about” just thirty minutes before Ben arrived. Sighing, she steps back, holding the door open so Ben can come inside.

The room is an absolute mess, at least on Rose’s side. Rose has things strewn about - swimsuits cover every surface, though that mess is just as much Rey’s as it is Rose’s - and the space definitely looks lived in. Rey’s side of the room is neat, her bag and clothes hardly taking up any room at all. There’s a small table by the window, which Rey begins to clear off so they can eat together. Rey moves the bags and suits off the chairs and says, “It’s not much, but this should do.”

“It’s great,” Ben says awkwardly.

While the gesture itself was a great idea, Ben finds that now that he’s here, in the situation, in Rey’s room, he’s got absolutely no idea how to talk to her. They’re not at the pool, and he doesn’t want to talk about swimming after such a rough practice. He doesn’t know what to say; they have no common ground that they know of.

“Thank you for dinner,” Rey says quietly as she takes a seat. 

Ben sits across from her and opens the box. “I got pepperoni. Is that okay?” he asks.

Nodding, Rey confesses, “I’ll eat just about anything.”

They dig in without a word, and suddenly Ben wishes he’d hidden behind his phone screen just a little longer. He tries to call on some of the skills he’d used when talking to the other women on Rey’s team - usually he’s very good at charming people when he really wants to put in the effort. Rey looks at him like she sees beyond him, though. They’d gotten off to a rough start and now he was struggling to get in her good graces and convince her that he’s a human who is worthy of respect. It’s his own fault, he knows it, but Rey is great at holding onto the past. 

They devour one, two, three slices each before Rey leans back in her chair. She’s stuffed. Rey watches Ben take another slice before she speaks. Her eyes are trained on the box, on the one lone slice of pizza sitting in its cardboard confinement as she says, “My parents.”

Raising an eyebrow, Ben asks, “What?”

She glances up at Ben and says softly, “Before… you asked me why this particular synchro event mattered so much to me. It’s because…” she trails off, hearing the words in her head before she says them. She scoffs at her internal monologue and says, “It’s stupid.”

“It’s not.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say!” she says indignantly, looking up at him and keeping eye contact this time.

“If it’s important to you, it’s not stupid,” he says. “If it was stupid you wouldn’t care.” He shrugs as though what he’s said wasn’t confusing at all.

Rey chews on her lip and watches Ben take another bite of pizza. After a sigh, she says, “My parents swam mixed duets in synchronized swimming together, but they never got to compete.” She hesitates, wondering if Ben is going to say something. When he doesn’t, she continues, “They went to some regional and nationwide competitions together, but even though they were getting nearly perfect scores, they couldn’t compete at the Olympics together.”

“Why not?” Ben asks.

“This will be the first Olympic games in history where mixed duet synchro routines are allowed,” Rey explains. “My parents campaigned for it to be an event, but… males in synchro are a rare thing. We’re part of history, this year.”

“If it’s rare, how did they even start swimming together?” he wonders.

Rey crosses her legs on the chair, fingers toying with the hem of her shorts. “My parents grew up in England,” she begins. “Things are different there. My dad - he loved any type of athletics. He used to swim, like you. He was on a team and everything.” Rey glances up at Ben, but then finds her shorts much more interesting again. “They met at a pool. My mom showed him moves, just for fun. Before they knew it, they were putting together a routine. It was all just for fun. My mom competed in the Olympics for Great Britain in 1984 and 1988 - those were the first two summer games where synchronized swimming was recognized as a sport and people were able to compete in it at all.”

She looks up through her eyelashes at Ben; he’s watching her intently and his heavy, dark gaze makes her stomach twist nervously. More than anything, she hopes she’s not boring him. “In 1991, she got the job as the assistant coach of the 1992 United States team. My dad moved with her. They got married right before they left; only my grandparents were there to see the wedding,” Rey explains. “That entire time she was competing, she and my dad would write routines. Sometime in the late eighties, they got to compete around the country with them. Mixed duets weren’t a separate category, back then. They competed against the all-female duets.”

She takes a sip from her water bottle, pleasantly comforted at Ben’s silence and attention. The thought should scare her, but she can only find solace in his company now. “So anyway, they kept pushing for it to be a separate category, along with many other swimmers. And even then, they kept pushing for it to be a part of the Olympics, but things were slow going,” she explains. “My mom coached the 1996 Olympic team too, even though she’d had me just a couple months before leaving for the first swim camps. That was her last year coaching.”

“She missed out on your childhood to coach an Olympic team?” Ben asks incredulously. He’d assumed that a girl as nice as Rey grew up in a loving, supportive, ‘always together’ sort of household.

Rey nods. “She hated it. Being away from me, I mean. She loved the sport a lot,” Rey says. “After that, she retired from Olympic coaching and started a team in Oregon. I joined that team when I was three.” She looks up at Ben, whose eyes have widened. “She coached my team my entire life.”

The suspense killing him, Ben asks, “Where is she now? She’d love this stuff, watching you train for the Olympics.”

Rey’s eyes cast downward at her lap and she nods. “She would,” she agrees. “When I was nineteen, training for the 2016 Olympic team, she um -,” Rey takes a deep breath. The wound still stings like it happened just yesterday. “She and my dad got caught in a bad storm. A semi truck rolled and hit them up in the mountains. Neither of them made it.”

Ben stares for a minute, taken aback. That’s not what he’d been expecting to hear, not by a long shot. “I’m sorry,” he says solemnly. “I didn’t know.”

“It’s alright,” she replies. Rather bravely, she looks up at him and says, “I want to trust you. This is how I do it. I tell you things that hurt.” Rey sniffles, and Ben senses that she’s going to continue talking, so he keeps his own mouth shut. “I was twenty-one. Maz let me step down and trade my spot with the alternate’s. I let her swim instead of me.” Rey takes a deep breath. “I promised them I’d medal in an event they always wanted to, but never could. I made that promise long before I knew I’d lose them as early as I did. I was just some idealistic teenager at the time. But this year is my last chance because I don’t want to waste my whole life on this one sport. I want to do just like my mum did - I want to master it, and then pass it along to my own child one day. Carry on the legacy.”

Rey dabs at her eye with the sleeve of her hoodie, but commends herself on her ability to hold it together, at least a little. Ben doesn’t speak; his dark eyes bore into her, studying her. Rey can feel the weight of his gaze and shifts a little uncomfortably under it. She’s not used to the attention of males - at least not ones that are presumably straight, like Ben. Perhaps that’s why she was so comfortable with Finn, she muses. He made it very clear from the start that he was interested in men. With Ben, there’s uncertainty. There’s attraction, too, whether she wants to admit it or not.

“I’m sorry,” Ben says. “I don’t know what to say. I’m never good in these situations.”

Rey swallows and takes a deep breath. “Tell me something about yourself,” she prompts. “Trust me with something difficult, too.”

It’s a dangerous thing to ask of Ben, and Rey knows it. She’s aware that this could all blow up in her face, that he’s got a temper and he’s not afraid to let people know that. Instead, Ben nods, like he’s agreeing. “Alright,” he says. “Um…”

He thinks and tries to come up with something, anything to say that would carry the same weight as what Rey’s just confessed to him. He comes up short. All things considered, Ben has had a pretty lucky life. Sure, his mom has been his only friend for most of his life, and even then, he’s been vile to her. Especially as a teenager. And his dad? Well… he’d have to be  _ around _ first.

And then it hits him. His mother’s words, her warnings.

“My dad. Sometimes I think he’s forgotten me. Or that he doesn’t care.”

Rey looks up at Ben, surprised at his confession. She’d assumed that, since his mother was at the swim club helping him with various things, that his father was around somewhere, too, at least when he wasn’t at an acting job.

“I know it’s stupid. At least I have a father, right?” Ben laughs derisively, trying to brush off his confession because it pales in comparison to Rey’s. “But he’s always put his acting career first. You know, he’s never once watched me at a swim competition. Not even when I was a little kid. He’s never seen me win a gold. Never traveled with me for any of it. I’m not even sure he could pick me out of a crowd at this point.”

“Ben…”

“I don’t want pity,” he says simply, holding up his hand to stop Rey before she can say anything else. “But… that’s something I’ve never told anyone else, so I hope it’s enough.”

Now it’s Rey’s turn to study Ben, and suddenly she gets it - his temper, his entitlement, his desire to keep winning. He just wants his father to notice him, to pay him a little mind. While Ben’s father may be successful enough to foot the bill for whatever Ben and his mom may need or want, it’s not what Ben’s needed most. He acts the way he does for a reason, and this is it.

Rey feels like the final walls between them have cracked away. She knows something about him that nobody else in the world knows. While she can’t say the same about what she’s shared, it all feels vulnerable and scary. It all requires insane amounts of trust. Having only known each other for a few weeks, the realization of what they’ve done hits her like a ton of bricks. Suddenly, Rey doesn’t want to make him work for her respect anymore. He’s earned it. He’s trying so hard to do that with his father, and it’s not right for her to make him try so hard with anyone else, least of all her, this girl holding onto a pathetic childhood promise.

As she looks deeper in Ben’s dark eyes, she can see the fear and the hesitation. And now the worry, and a gaze that looks seconds away from closing her out. She suddenly realizes she should say something.

“It’s more than enough,” she says finally. Her voice is tender, gentle. “Thank you for trusting me with that.” She swallows and adds, “I’m sorry he’s put you through that. I can’t imagine.”

Ben shrugs. “I’ll be alright,” he says. “I can’t imagine having to go through this all by myself, like you have.”

Rey gives him a sad smile. “You’re lucky you don’t need to do that,” she says. “Maz and Phasma are my guardians, in a way. Not like I need them anyway, but it’s nice knowing they’re there, out in the stands watching me when nobody else can.”

“You’ve got no cousins? No grandparents?” Ben asks.

Rey shakes her head. “My parents were both only children, and their parents were quite old when they had them,” she explains. “You?”

“I have an uncle, though he’s kind of a hermit. No TV, no cell phone, just an unreliable landline in his little shack somewhere up the coast of Maine,” Ben explains. “My grandmother died when she had my mom and uncle, and my grandfather died not long after. My dad… doesn’t talk about his family.” After a pause, he says, “I think it had something to do with child stars in that age, something about his money. He started acting when he was eleven, so maybe they tried to take his money. I don’t know.”

Frowning, Rey says, “We sound like the two most lonely people in this world.”

“Maybe we are,” Ben shrugs.

For some reason, that puts a smile on Rey’s face. She has no idea why, but there’s a sort of comfort in knowing that feeling alone isn’t something she has to deal with in solitude. There are people out there who feel just as disconnected and warped because of their family; she feels like she can connect better with Ben now. Empathize with him. Ben is just amazed Rey hasn’t kicked him out yet.

He glances at the door, and then his phone, and Rey bites her lip. She knows it’s probably best if they part ways until practice tomorrow, get a good night’s rest after such a long, grueling practice. But she’s also feeling quite at peace with where they’re at, and doesn’t feel ready to say goodnight to him. 

“D’you want to watch a movie?” she asks suddenly.

Rey’s words are the last thing Ben expected to hear, so he’s caught off guard and takes a moment to form a response. “I - sure,” he stammers out. Seeing the way Rey’s face lights up at his acceptance puts him a little more at ease, and he adds, “I’ll warn you now, though - I have a habit of falling asleep during movies.”

“Short attention span?”

“I get bored easily.”

Rey laughs, a bright barking laugh that lights up her features. Ben likes her best when she laughs. She sounds melodic and sweet and lights up a room with her happiness. Seeing her this way is a rare occasion; he’s not going to waste it. “Come on, then,” she says, standing from her chair to climb onto her bed.

Ben stands and wanders over, looking between the beds. He’s not sure where their line is, and he doesn’t want to accidentally cross it. Rey senses his trepidation and gives him his answer by patting the mattress next to her. “Don’t use Rose’s bed. If you fall asleep, she won’t have anywhere to stay,” Rey says.

She tries not to think too much about what she’s gone and said, whereas Ben can’t stop focusing on it. If he falls asleep, she won’t wake him up and make him leave. That’s… something. That’s trust. Right? Rey offers him the remote as they lean against the headboard together, elbows bumping just barely.

Rey’s heart races a mile a minute in her chest, which is absolutely ridiculous because they’ve swam together. She’s stood on his shoulders hundreds of times by now. But yet somehow the brush of their elbows is enough to cause a swarm of butterflies in her belly to fly faster and harder than she’s ever felt before. Ben shakes his head and doesn’t take the remote, muttering something about how he’ll fall asleep anyway, so she should choose what she’d like.

There isn’t much on TV considering it’s a Saturday night, so Rey decides to settle for the animated movie Disney happens to be playing that night. She sets her alarm for the next morning, just in case she falls asleep, and then leans back against the headboard, next to Ben.

Sometime later in the night, when all the lights are off and the TV is silent, Rey wakes. She’s warm and content, the very picture of serenity, and in her half-awake haze realizes Ben is still in her bed. His arm is warm and strong around her shoulders, and his chest makes the  _ best _ pillow. Rey hears the shuffling of Rose climbing into bed, but can’t bring it upon herself to feel self-conscious. This is nice, being comfortable around Ben.

She settles back into his arms, dragging the blankets just a little further up their bodies before allowing sleep to reclaim her.


	5. Chapter 5: Breaking the Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben spend even more time together and work through the challenges in their routines - and their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, as always, for reading and commenting! We're halfway through now - I do hope you're enjoying! xx

Word travels fast among the synchronized swimmers, and Rey knows exactly who is to blame. Her roommate Rose has made it no secret that she wants Rey to start dating, to start working towards that life after the Olympics she’s always wanted. “You can’t start a family and share your legacy if you don’t let people in,” she’s said, over and over again.

Now that Rey let someone in - the handsome Kylo Ren, no less - it’s all the team can talk about.

She ignores them as best she can, instead doubling down her efforts on all things swimming. She pushes them hard in practice, looking forward to the afternoon when she and Ben would have some time in the pool.

They run through the tech routine, and Ben flubs a few moves, and Rey doesn’t complete the front somersault  _ still _ . Every single time they run it, she lands with a big smack on the water. Eventually, Maz decides to give that routine up for the day and instead move on to the free routine.

“Let’s try the lift from this one, first. If we need to change it, it’s best we find out now, rather than later,” Maz says brusquely. “Finn’s boosts were a little stronger than Ben’s, so if we need to go back to the conventional setup with both of you upside down, I need to know that now.”

Ben nods and turns to Rey. “What do we do?”

“For you, it’s almost exactly the same, really,” she explains. “The only difference is, [I go up and do a back arch and land behind you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHNEOshqEZg) (0:07-0:10).” Rey hesitates before she adds, “Maz rambled on because usually this move means we both need to be underwater, and you push me up with your feet. But Finn was terrible at that, so we modified it.”

The words go over his head and he says, “Yeah… I can’t really picture it. If I boost like I do on the other one, is that enough?”

“Sure,” Rey nods. “Yeah. The rest is just me, and we’ll see if we need to change it after that.”

She looks nervous and Ben can see it clear as day on her face. “You okay?” he asks.

Rey wipes the nerves from her face so quickly it’s alarming. She looks determined now, and she nods, her expression steeled. She can do this. She’s done it a thousand times with Finn. Maz counts them off and Ben sinks down in the water.

He looks up at Rey, limbs moving just so, keeping him just a few inches underwater. When his eyes do look up through his goggles, her face is right there. She’s upside down and her hands are on his shoulders and their faces are closer than they’ve ever been. Ben does his best to boost her up out of the water, but Rey is distracted, and to be fair, so is he. When he resurfaces, Maz is halfway through admonishing him. 

It’s gotten easier to ignore her temper as the weeks go on. Rey was right about that. 

“Alright, talk me through what you’re doing here,” Ben says when he catches his breath. “I was expecting feet on my shoulders again. Not your face in my face.”

Maz rolls her eyes. “I know your faces have been that close before. You can’t fool me,” she says. “Don’t let it screw you up! This is the  _ Olympics _ you’re training for, in case you two have forgotten!”

Rey’s cheeks are bright red. “I’m going upside down in a tuck position. My hands will be on your shoulders, and when we go up, I’m going to arch over your head and land feet first,” she explains, gesturing with her hand over his head.

“So if we  _ really _ screw it up, you’ll land on my head?” Ben asks.

Rey laughs. “I suppose. Let’s try not to screw it up?” Ben nods. The more time he spends with Rey, though, the more he finds he’d do just about anything for her, including sustaining whatever injury would come of her falling on top of him. “So just, try to put as much push behind the boost as you can. Arms and legs, push as hard down as you can. I’m going to push off of your shoulders.”

“Try it again,” Maz interrupts. “We’re going to keep doing this until you get it. You’re going to be able to do at least one lift to perfection before this week is over.”

Sighing, Rey swims back into position.

This time, neither of them are surprised when they get ready under the water, eyes locking as they concentrate on the task at hand. Rey sinks down so low her nose bumps Ben’s, and then they hear Maz on the underwater speakers, counting them off. Ben pushes his arms and legs down with as much strength as he can muster, and Rey pushes hard off of his shoulders. Ben’s skin stings from her fingernails as she launches off his shoulders. He feels the water splash behind him and then resurfaces.

There’s applause when they resurface. Rey glances at Ben, and then up at Maz. She  _ never _ applauds.

“That’s the closest you two have come to a successful lift since you started,” Maz says. “Rey, you got the arch, but you have to point your toes.” Rey nods; it’s the simplest thing, but she was so focused on the arch, she forgot the rest. “Ben, try starting an inch or two higher. Rey, if you tuck a little tighter, we should get even higher on that lift than you did with Finn. Try it again.”

Ben and Rey spend the next hour doing the exact same lift, over and over again. By the time they’re getting out of the pool to go to the locker rooms, Ben’s shoulders are red and raw. Rey notices as she walks behind him and frowns. “Ben, I’m so sorry…”

He turns around on his heel, looking at Rey with confusion. “What for?” he asks.

“Your shoulders,” she says timidly. They’re scratched up from all those lifts. “I should have cut my nails. It’s been so long since I did the lift, I didn’t think…”

Ben glances down at his shoulders to see what she’s talking about. When he does, he raises his eyebrows. He’s surprised the damage was physical; he’d thought he was just reacting to Rey’s touch the same way he had with his last girlfriend - the warm, tingling sensation where their skin touched. He hadn’t suspected he was actually hurt. Something twists in his gut and he can’t stop the words on the tip of his tongue. “I don’t mind,” he says. “It’s been a long time since someone has marked me up.”

Rey’s whole face flushes red and she’s grateful that they reached the doors to the locker rooms because she has no idea what to say to that.

\---

When he gets to his hotel room, Ben notices that his mother is out. The place is still, empty. He’s not used to being anywhere alone. In fact, he can’t remember a time when his mother wasn’t right there for him, supporting him even when he grew weary and irritated with her. She’s always tried so hard, for him.

He finds he likes the quiet.

Ben takes his time in the shower, letting the warm water wash over his sore shoulders. They sting under the steaming hot spray, but in a way that doesn’t bother him. In fact, the memory of receiving those scratches makes his gut twist and his heart race. He’d liked it, the realization that Rey had done that to him. Now everyone would know they’d touched, grown comfortable with each other. 

And god, the way she’d looked at him when they finally did that lift correctly. Her whole face lit up, the same way it did that night in her room. Ben put that smile there, and he felt a certain pride at that knowledge that he’d never felt before. This girl had been through so much, but instead of bowing down to the pain like Ben so often did when his father ignored him, she rose to the occasion. Her pain lit a fire within her, made her stronger and braver whereas his pain made him weak, made him doubt everything.

Ben could do to learn a lesson or two from Rey.

He knew this feeling - he’d felt it before. Attraction. That smile on Rey’s face, the warmth of her touch even in the cold pool - it lit a fire within Ben. She’d pushed him hard, challenged him to be a better man than she’d first thought he was. She made him forget his troubles. She made him want to be stronger. Rey made him  _ happy _ . 

Ben stood in the shower dwelling upon his thoughts until the water ran cold, and then stayed a few minutes longer to try to push away the fire she’d lit within him, the desire he knew he couldn’t act upon.

When he wandered out of the bathroom he wore nothing but a towel around his waist. He nearly dropped it when he saw his mother in the doorway.

Instantly, Leia’s eyes found the scratches on his shoulders. “Oh Ben,” she says with a frown.

“Mom, it’s just from practice,” he says lamely. She’s gotten the wrong idea.

Shaking her head, she replies, “Is that it?”

“It has to be, right?” Ben replies flatly, attitude dripping from his words. 

Leia sighs and turns back to the doorway. “Get dressed. I’ll make us some dinner,” she says simply, and then leaves.

Ben fumes as he pulls on a simple black shirt and some practice shorts. He knows he’s a grown man and can make decisions however he pleases. When he wanders out of the room and into the kitchenette, Leia is making them sandwiches. “Ben, I know she’s beautiful. I see why you’re attracted to her, but remember last time?”

He fumes as he sits down at the table. “Weren’t you just telling me to grow up? Dating is part of that,” Ben replies. Sighing, he adds, “Besides, we’re just swim partners.”

Leia hands Ben a plate and sits across from him. “I  _ do _ want you to grow up,” Leia says. “Which is why I need you to understand that right now, this is a bad idea.” Ben doesn’t say a word. Leia gently lays into him with explanation. “You have a one-track mind, Ben. If you let yourself get distracted… the same thing could happen as last time,” Leia says. “Only this time you’d take an innocent girl down with you.”

Rolling his eyes, Ben says, “ _ Last time _ I was barely twenty and she was a fling.”

“You wanted to marry her,” Leia reminds him. “You were so focused on her, you didn’t medal at all that year. You let her get under your skin, in your head… you lost your focus and choked.”

“I know!” Ben slams his hand on the table. He looks up at Leia and says, “I’m not going to tell you details because they’re not mine to tell, but this is  _ different _ . This is important to her and I’m not going to screw it up.”

“Ben -,”

“Do you trust me?”

He looks up at his mother, his eyes dark and expectant. When she hesitates, he gets his answer.

Abandoning his dinner on the table, Ben grabs his swim bag and leaves the room without a second thought. He gets halfway down the hallway before he realizes his mother isn’t following. He doesn’t want her to, and yet at the same time it bothers him that she’s just let him leave.

Pulling out his phone, Ben sends out a quick text message and then continues on his way.

He follows the now-familiar path to the pool; it’s dark, only a few flood lights on. The space is gloomy, eerie, with an air of melancholy that perfectly suits his mood. He doesn’t bother with a swim cap, doesn’t grab his nose clip - he’s not going to practice synchro. What Ben needs is a mindless swim. To pretend he’s Kylo Ren again, just for a little while. To try to wipe his memory of the frustration and anger he feels before he lashes out at another person and really messes things up.

Ben doesn’t stop doing laps, even when his muscles scream out in exhaustion. He only stops when he sees a hand waving above the surface of the water in the shallow end when he tries to do a flip turn. He resurfaces, a funny twist in his chest at the realization that she’d come.

Rey stands there in shorts and a hoodie, her hands on her hips now. “You’re going to hurt yourself if you practice too much,” she says as she watches him stand up in the water, facing her. His hair drips and looks somehow, mysteriously, even darker than it already did. She sees pain and frustration in his eyes. Her arms drop to her sides and she takes a step towards him. “Are you alright?” she asks.

“You came,” he replies.

She has a knowing smile on her face as she sits down at the edge of the pool. Her legs dangle in the water and she leans back on her arms. “Of course I did,” she says. “You needed me.”

Ben looks dumbstruck.

“So. What did you need?” she asks, leaning forward on her knees. “What happened?”

He shakes his head, but not too quickly; he doesn’t want to splash her. Then his long fingers rake through his hair, pushing it out of his face. “It’s not a big deal,” he lies. “Just got sick of my mom.”

Rey doesn’t smile. “So you came down here to swim so hard you could hurt yourself four weeks before the Olympics?” she asks. He sees the disappointment on her face and he doesn’t like that he’s put it there.

“I just needed to clear my mind,” Ben explains.

Now Rey frowns, scooting a little further forward on the edge of the pool. “You have to find another way to do that,” she says seriously. “At least until the Olympics are over. If you take this seriously.”

“I do take it seriously,” Ben says quickly. He walks towards her, the water rippling around the bare skin at his waist.

She kicks one leg out at him half-heartedly. “I hope you do,” Rey replies. Her voice is soft and hopeful, and she’s looking down between them. 

Chancing a potentially terrible reaction, Ben reaches out, drifting his fingers over her legs, on her thighs near the hem of her shorts. He hears Rey’s breath catch. “Believe it or not, I’m actually enjoying myself,” he confesses.

Ben looks up at Rey, feeling a twist of hope in his chest that she’ll understand fully what he’s trying to say in such simple words. She has an expression on her face that he can’t read, but he sees the tilt of a smile at the corners of her lips and feels a warmth, a comfort in knowing that she’s not shying away from his touch. That he hasn’t said the wrong thing. That perhaps, somehow, his feelings might be reciprocated.

Rey’s warm hands drop to Ben’s shoulders, drifting over the scratches she’d left behind. “I’m sorry about these,” she says softly. “I trimmed my nails tonight, so I wouldn’t make them worse.”

Ben’s low baritone goes impossibly deeper as he confesses, “I told you. I liked it.”

Her thumbs brush over the scratches and she replies, “I can’t understand why.”

He swallows hard before he whispers, “One day I can show you.”

Rey’s eyes go darker and she leans in closer to him, her forehead pressing to his. The room is dark and the water of the pool has gone still around Ben’s hips. The only sound in the room is their breathing, warm and a bit heavy as they grow closer. Ben’s eyes glance to Rey’s lips and she nearly goes cross-eyed as she looks back at him. His hands slide up her thighs, and her heart races as she feels his breath on her lips. 

Ben wants so dearly to kiss her, but his mother’s warning keeps echoing in his head. He shouldn’t do this. He’ll get distracted. He’ll screw up Rey’s chance at winning the medal that means so much to her. But then she’s running her fingers through his hair, pushing it out of his face, cupping his face in her warm, gentle hands and he can’t resist any longer.

The moments their lips meet, the world stops turning. Rey’s never felt the affection of another, never let herself be distracted in this way. When her lips meet Ben’s, it’s like she’s lived her whole life in black and white and suddenly everything is in bright, vibrant color. Her heart pounds hard against her ribcage and he’s close to her but yet not nearly close enough all at once. She wants to feel his body against her own, wants to share her warmth with him, touch every inch of his skin, memorize all she can about Ben before they go their separate ways when this crazy two month adventure ends.

Ben’s hands slide up her thighs to rest on her hips, teasing the skin underneath her hoodie. Her skin there is bare and very curiously, Ben whispers against her lips, “Didn’t you wear a suit?”

He’d asked her to, in his text message. Originally, he’d wanted to practice the routine. Distract himself. But now that they were here, touching and kissing, he didn’t want that anymore. “I did,” she whispers back. He can feel her smiling before he sees it.

Reluctantly, he lets her lean away, but he’s well rewarded when she pulls off her hoodie. She’d worn a two-piece. She’d had no intentions of practicing anything when she came to him at the pool.

It’s nothing fancy, just a black bikini top with presumably a matching bottom underneath her shorts. Ben stares at her milky skin compared to the dark fabric. The cool room prickles her skin and he sees her shiver. “Come here,” he whispers, pulling on her waist, nearly pulling her into the pool right there.

Rey lifts her legs out of the water and tries her very best not to kick Ben as she pulls her shorts off. She tosses them aside and sits on the edge of the pool, letting him drink in the sight of her for only a few tantalizing seconds before she drops into the water. “Oh god it’s cold,” she whispers, arms crossing her chest to try to preserve heat.

Ben automatically reaches out, wrapping his arms around her to share his warmth. She hides in his embrace, not leaning away to let Ben get another look at her. She doesn’t particularly think she’s a beautiful girl; Rey knows her breasts are too small and she’s not as curvy as most girls. She’s muscular and lean and not the picture of conventional beauty. She just  _ is _ . She looks up at Ben through her eyelashes, warming under his touch, cheeks turning pink under his darkened gaze. 

“We shouldn’t do this,” she whispers. Clearly, she’s the rational one between the two of them.

Ben smirks. “We’re just practicing our teamwork skills,” he says, and then kicks himself for such a stupid joke.

Rey laughs, though, and there it is again, that pang of pride and happiness at knowing he can do that to her, make her smile like that. “You know, you’re not wrong,” Rey concedes.

She smiles up at Ben and her heart beats a little faster when she sees him smile back. It’s one of the first times she’s truly seen him smile. He may not be traditionally handsome, but he’s caught her eye and made her feel things no other man has made her feel. And now here she is, in a pool in the middle of the evening, alone, in the dark, standing in his arms. They’re both nearly naked and full of desire for the other, and the moment is so still and so pleasant that it’s difficult for her to believe this is the same man she’d loathed just four weeks prior.

“I want to kiss you again,” Ben confesses.

Rey drapes her arms around his broad shoulders and whispers, “Please do.”

They waste no more time.


	6. Chapter 6: Starting Something New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Ben continue to grow closer, but what happens when someone from Ben's speed swimming career reappears in his life?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having so much fun updating this and sharing it with you all! It should be daily updates from here on out until the end. 
> 
> Many thanks as always to Mariah and Rachel for reading this over for me before posting! xx

They have to meet at the pool at an insanely early time the next day, and they’re both dragging their feet when they walk in. Maz eyes them wearily but keeps her mouth shut, and for that Rey is incredibly grateful. She still doesn’t know what this thing is between them, but fears what might happen if people ask too many questions.

Dating is wholly unfamiliar to Rey, a thing she’d never worried about throughout high school and once she started seriously competing as a swimmer, she liked to pretend dating didn’t exist. It helped her focus on her swimming, on becoming better, stronger. 

They have three weeks to go before the Opening Ceremonies and they still haven’t perfected the lift for the tech routine. They repeat it dozens of times, Rey standing on Ben’s shoulders, pushing herself up and into a roll. She keeps landing on her back. Finally, Maz makes the executive decision to change the lift completely.

Ben looks at Rey, wondering what she thinks of it, but Rey looks oddly at peace with the decision. “I want you both to go into a tuck position. Ben, you’re going to have to sink really low, because you’re pushing her up with your feet this time,” Maz says. “We need a  _ lot _ of height if you guys are going to have any chance. Rey - you support scull in a pike, and I want you to go up into a barracuda open split, porpoise straight up to cross your legs at the ankles, go back out at a second position open, and then [porpoise to submerge](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2gUX4xMZq8) (0:45-1:02).”

Rey nods dutifully - this stuff she can do. Sure, she won’t be soaring through the air, but other things can be flashy and catch the judges’ attention. “Ben, since she’s going down and not going to your side, I need you to come out of that to your next position as fast as you can, alright? Otherwise you two will collide underwater.”

Now it’s Ben’s turn to nod. He knows he has to take this move seriously because it’s a little more dangerous than others that they’ve tried, even if he can’t really picture what it is she’ll be doing above the water. “Okay. Same counts. I’ll count you off. Ready?” Maz says.

Ben’s expecting the first time to be a disaster. He’s expecting to resurface and see Rey red-faced and frustrated and hear Maz screaming out a million things for them to improve. Instead, she’s clapping. They did it well. 

“Obviously there are things to improve but for the most part, that was pretty good,” Maz says. “A much better start than the other lifts.”

Ben glances at Rey, who has the shaky starts of a smile on her face. Their pride is short-lived though, because Maz starts barking out improvements right away. “Ben, start a little closer to the surface, Rey can bend more. Rey, you should be able to do just as well if you start at a 45 degree angle rather than a 90. Then point your toes more, and make the move from split to porpoise faster. Your legs should snap together. Make it sharp.”

Armed with improvements, they try it again.

And again.

And again.

Rey’s shoulders are a little sore and at one point, Ben’s lungs were screaming for reprieve, but the lift looks much better than the last one. Replacing it had done the trick.

Maz seems satisfied with that lift, and for the last hour they go back to the face to face lift, instead. Rey smiles now, when she looks at Ben while they set it up. He smiles back and tries not to get too distracted by this odd display of flirtation. Usually Rey isn’t so brazen about it; Ben’s used to stolen, hidden smiles or coy eyes as they pass in the hallway. 

They’ve got ten minutes left and they’re bone-weary from how hard Maz has pushed them. Rey’s starting to look frustrated and Ben could sleep right there if he wouldn’t die from it. He decides to go for broke when they set up the lift. 

When their noses bump, he steals a quick kiss. Rey flops out of the lift in the most undignified way possible, and Ben revels in knowing he’s caught her off guard. She’s laughing hysterically as she resurfaces, hitting Ben’s shoulder lightly, pretending she’s bothered by what he’s done. In reality, she’s glad he put a smile back on her face. She was getting caught up in her head, fixating on all her mistakes. Ben reminded her to loosen up without having to say a word.

Maz barks at them, of course, and says something about saving the PDA for outside the pool. 

They have to stay ten minutes late running the lift as their punishment, but Rey doesn’t mind. Now that she knows Ben’s tempted to kiss her when they set up the lift, she’s prepared. He steals two more kisses before their practice is over, and on those lifts, she jumps higher than the rest. She tells herself it’s purely a coincidence.

Besides, if it means they’ll start doing the lift to Maz’s expectations… that’s a good thing.

They run into each other in the hallway outside the locker rooms after practice, and once again Rey gives Ben a coy half-smile. “What are you doing tonight?” she asks, trying to sound casual.

Ben’s heart sinks; he suddenly hates that he has plans. “Oh, I… I’m having dinner with my old coach.”

“Snoke?” Rey asks, and then makes a sour face. “I heard he’s evil.”

“He’s a tough coach,” Ben nods. “But I swam for him for close to ten years. He’s the reason I have four gold medals. I’m not about to turn down a dinner with him.”

Rey nods. Something about the whole situation feels off to her. Maybe it’s the stress and paranoia that he’ll somehow change Ben’s mind about competing as a synchronized swimmer. She wants to trust Ben, though, and that Snoke isn’t as bad as all the rumors make him out to be, so she nods. “Well, have fun.”

“Tomorrow night?” Ben asks hopefully.

Rey’s expression brightens and she says, “I’m all yours.”

“Good,” Ben nods, a nervous smile on his face. “I’ll find a nice place for dinner. We can go out on a real date.”

Rey snorts and then asks, “What, swimming together daily for six weeks doesn’t count?” Ben just gives her a pointed look.

She stops walking and turns to face him in the hallway of the club. Rey has to meet her team for land practice upstairs in a few minutes. “So I’ll see you for land practice in the morning, then?” she asks.

Rey’s voice is soft and she wishes she didn’t sound as wistful about having to wait as she knows she does. Ben looks down at her and nods, his damp hair framing his face in a way that makes Rey’s breath catch and her mouth go dry. “Yeah,” he says, one hand drifting out to ghost over her hip.

They don’t usually do this, touch or kiss in public, but Ben wants to give her a kiss goodbye before they part ways. They’ve grown attached to each other - and that can be dangerous, Ben knows - but he’s feeling reckless with Rey. He’s high off the happiness she exudes and he’s got no excuse other than that. Leaning in, he presses a chaste kiss to her lips. He knows she’s shy, and he doesn’t want to push for more than she’s willing to give.

It’s Rey who asks for a little more in the form of her hand clutching the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. She steps up on her tiptoes to press into the kiss. Her heart races in her chest and she can’t breathe but she feels like she’s gone to heaven sometime in the past few days, like she’s living in a dream from which she never wants to wake up.

Ben pulls away when they hear footsteps in the hallway, and Rey smiles at him. “Have a nice time tonight,” she says softly.

“See you,” he replies.

Rey spots her teammates at the end of the hallway and turns to run towards them. She’s smiling as she calls out Rose’s name, and in moments she’s pulled into a big group hug. Ben notices a few pairs of eyes on him as he leaves through the side doors of the swim club, but thinks nothing of it.

Practice with her teammates goes well, and Rey is pleasantly surprised at the lack of Ben-related questions she receives whenever Coach Phasma gives them a break. She’d expected a ton of questions, given how Rey seems to be spending most of her time with him, rather than her team. It’s not intentional - he’s making up for a lot of lost time, time Rey spent perfecting the routines with  _ Finn _ instead. 

Rey goes through the routines with her team first on land, in the dance room, and then in the pool. In the locker room afterwards, the topic of Ben finally comes up. “So, Kylo Ren, huh?” asks Rose.

Rey’s cheeks turn red and she shrugs noncommittally. “What about him?”

“First of all, you keep calling him  _ Ben _ , so what’s that about?” Jess asks.

“It’s his real name,” Rey says simply. “Kylo Ren is just the name he swims under.”

“How come?” press a few of her teammates.

“His family,” she replies. “I’m not going to say any more than that, though. It’s not my place.” Rey looks rather smug, having shut off the conversation on that front, but sure enough they find other things that are Kylo Ren related to talk about.

“I saw the scratches on his shoulders when you guys were practicing earlier,” Connix says. She wiggles her eyebrows. Rey’s whole face flushes.

“It’s not like that!” Rey denies instantly.

“Oh please,” Paige, Rose’s older sister, speaks up. “I think we can all agree that Kylo Ren is the sexiest man we’ve all seen in a long time. You’d be dumb not to climb him like a tree.”

“I haven’t,” Rey says. “Those are from the lift. I hadn’t trimmed my nails, and…”

“Did he like it?”

Rey looks up at Paige, who seems to be leading this conversation. A few of Rey’s teammates are snickering as they watch Rey’s expression turn to total mortification. “Sometimes guys think it’s hot when you mark them up like that. And you are too old to be this innocent, honestly,” Paige says.

“Oh, give her a break,” one of Rey’s more soft-spoken teammates, Tallie Lintra, says. “Like any of us really have time to think about sex or dating.”

“It’s true,” chimes in Tallie’s best friend Cova Nell. “Can anyone here really say they’ve had sex within the last year?”

That, it seems, puts Paige in her place. Rey glances up at Paige and says, “I’m not mad at you for asking. It’s just… not important right now. He’s new, and this is all new, and…”

“Has he kissed you yet?” Rose blurts out.

Rey pulls on her sweatshirt and says, “Yeah. He has. A few times, actually.” Her face is crimson as she confesses it.

“Was he your first kiss?” Jess wonders.

It’s no secret to the group that Rey is as innocent as they come. They know she spent most of her time swimming for the past five years, and before that she was coaching whenever she wasn’t swimming, as her mother’s assistant coach. Rey has never shown an interest in dating, either, so to Rey, the conversation doesn’t need to happen. They already know just how inexperienced she is.

Rather stubbornly, Rey doesn’t answer. Instead, she just turns to Rose, who also just finished getting ready, and asks, “Are you ready to go?”

The group feels a little awkward now, and Rey would just like to get out of there. Her private life is none of their business. She’s shy about her love life to begin with, and even though she trusts her teammates, these are girls she’s only known for a year or so. She would only trust a few with them of all of her deepest secrets.

Rose gathers up her bag and quickly follows Rey out of the locker rooms and to the shuttle that will take them down the road to the hotel where they’ve taken up lodging. Rey wants to crawl out of her own skin, and she hopes that a night in with Rose will distract her from her thoughts about Ben and her worries about what will happen at this dinner with Snoke he’s going to. The more she thinks about it, the worse things get in her head.

As they ride in the shuttle, Rose asks, “Does he make you happy?”

Surprised by her friend’s gentle question, Rey turns to her and nods. “Yeah. He does. Now.”

Rose raises an eyebrow, “Now?”

“He was an absolute nightmare when we first met,” Rey begins, and then launches into the story of her first meeting with Kylo Ren - or Ben, as she’s come to call him - in Maz’s office all those weeks ago. It feels like another lifetime, they’ve accomplished so much since then. 

As she discusses her journey so far with Ben, Rey starts to realize how quickly it’s all happened, how fast they’ve moved, relatively speaking. Rey hadn’t so much as kissed a man before she met Ben, and the next thing she knew she was making out with him after hours in the pool, and sharing secret kisses during their duet, and partaking in PDA in the hallways of an Olympic training facility. It’s like she’s become a completely different person.

“I think he’s good for you,” Rose says finally, as they step out of the shuttle van and towards the familiar entrance lobby of their hotel. “Maybe it means you’ll have someone there for you when you’re done in the Olympics.”

Her words twist painfully in Rey’s chest, but she nods. “Yeah. Maybe.” 

“Are you two officially a couple, then?” Rose wonders.

The hallways of the hotel are quiet, other Olympic swimmers passing by here or there but generally keeping to themselves. It’s one of the many training facilities all across the country, and this hotel struck a deal with the USA to house all the athletes who needed it.

“I guess so,” Rey confesses. She pulls out her key card and opens up their hotel room. She stumbles when she realizes there’s a piece of paper on the floor. When she picks it up, she sees a note on the hotel’s notepad, folded in half with her name on the top in a messy scrawl. When she opens it, the only words are ‘ _ I’ll pick you up at 7. _ ’

“Yes,” Rose says with a smile as she peeks over Rey’s shoulder. “You two are definitely an official couple.”

\---

Practices the next day feel like they take forever. It’s also Rey’s busiest day all week; she has land practice with Ben for two hours, then they get the pool for two hours, then a quick lunch before she spends another four hours in the pool with her team, first on their group tech routine, and then on the free. She feels weary down to her bones by the time the day is done; she’s grateful that not only does she get to spend the night out with Ben that evening, but she doesn’t have to be anywhere until one in the afternoon the next day. 

She thinks that might be an oversight on Maz’s part, but she’s not going to ask too many questions.

However, a full day of distraction means that when she looks at the clock and realizes it’s already five thirty, Rey suddenly feels panicked. “You guys…” she says as they’re all finishing up in the locker room. The women are in various states of redress after finishing in the pool and showers, and they turn to Rey when she calls on them. “I need help,” she confesses, her cheeks red. “I have a date tonight and I don’t know what I’m doing.”

Rey’s teammates cheer and squeal and suddenly a simple call for help turns into an emergency team meeting in Rey and Rose’s hotel room. Rey is suddenly grateful for her teammates’ enthusiasm about her dating life. This is foreign territory to Rey and she doesn’t have the first clue what to do. But sure enough, with five minutes to spare, Rey stands ready to go out on her very first date. 

Paige’s [navy blue dress](http://www.speakerscorner.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/daisy10.jpg) is simple - the neckline isn’t too low, the skirt isn’t too short - and it sparkles just a little under the right lighting. It fits Rey’s body like a glove. She’s wearing plain black flats because she doesn’t trust herself to walk in heels, and although she won’t admit it to anyone, she likes feeling small next to Ben. They put the tiniest amount of makeup on her face, and her hair has been left down, curled ever so slightly.

As promised, Ben comes to pick her up at seven. When she hears a knock on the door, Rey’s mouth goes dry and she feels her palms grow sweaty. “You’ve got this,” Paige smiles at Rey warmly.

Jess and Rose pat her on the shoulders and nudge her towards the door. Heart pounding violently in her chest, Rey walks to the door and opens it. She doesn’t know what to expect when she looks up, but it’s certainly not Ben looking as handsome as he does. He’s wearing simple things, just like her - dress pants, a black button down shirt. Black is his color, Rey notes. He’s combed back his hair, though it’s starting to fall loosely forward already, and he looks as nervous as she feels.

Everything goes quiet for a moment, and Rey doesn’t know what to say. Awkwardly, she just says, “Hi.”

“Hi,” Ben responds.

She smiles at him, and he smiles back. Slowly, he holds out his hand to Rey. She looks down at his hand, realizing full well that her room is packed with the rest of her teammates, watching with bated breath. Very gently, Rey rests her hand in Ben’s, and together they walk out the door.

\---

When Ben drops Rey off at her door a few hours later, she notices yet another note on the floor. It’s from Rose, and after she’s read it, Rey turns around and quickly peeks out the door. Ben is only a few strides down the hallway. “Ben!” she whispers as loudly as she can.

He turns around immediately, so quickly it’s almost comical. Rey smiles and gestures for him to come back, so he does. There’s confusion clear on his face. “Rose is staying in her sister’s room tonight, just in case we wanted to be alone,” Rey whispers. She suddenly feels shy again under the realization of what she’s implying. “Do you want to come in?” she asks.

Ben looks nervous, but he nods without hesitation. “Yeah,” he says, taking her hand again to walk into her hotel room. It feels different this time - there’s a tension in the air that wasn’t when they’d first been alone in the room.

“There’s no pressure or anything, obviously,” Rey starts to ramble as the door closes behind them. “I’m not even sure  _ I’m _ ready for something like that.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to be,” Ben interrupts. He rests his hands gently on her shoulders, sliding them down to soothe over her upper arms. “Not when I’m your first…  _ everything _ .”

Rey looks down, laughing a little. “Is it weird for you?” she wonders. She’d told him on the date, during dinner, that she’d never dated before. Never kissed. Never gone further. It had always been just synchro for her.

“No,” Ben says, shaking his head. “I can teach you.”

“When I’m ready?” Rey asks, making sure he knows where she stands.

“Yeah,” Ben nods, sliding his hands gently down Rey’s arms. He takes her hands in his and says, “When you’re ready. No pressure.”

His reassurance and understanding do wonders to quell the butterflies in Rey’s stomach. She’ll probably never get used to the rush of happiness she feels when he takes her hand or lets her see one of his rare smiles. He doesn’t smile often, she’d noticed. It honors her that most of the time when he does, he’s looking right at her. Something about that piece of knowledge makes Rey feel like she’s floating on cloud nine.

She turns around, loosely twining her fingers through his with just one hand to lead him over to her bed. “Remember that night you just showed up with pizza?” she asks. “We barely knew each other. I think I still hated you, even.” Rey climbs up onto the bed and Ben follows. They kick their shoes off but sit atop the blankets.

“Hate is a pretty strong word,” Ben intones.

Rey sits close to Ben on the bed, holding his hand properly now. She rests her head on his shoulder and says, “I was scared.”

The room is so quiet they can hear grasshoppers chirping outside and the slight snores of whoever is in the room next to theirs. Finally, Ben breaks the silence by asking, “What changed?”

Rey looks up at Ben. His face is striking in the darkness, nothing but the soft shadows of a lamp by the door to light the room. His eyes are dark, but warm, and his hair has fallen in his face again. Rey smiles. She likes that he always looks a little disheveled. But now with his walls down, he also looks young. Scared, even. Releasing his hand, Rey props herself up on her knees, facing Ben. With gentle fingers, she pushes his hair out of his face and smiles. “You trusted me,” she shrugs. “That meant so much to me.” With all the courage in her, Rey leans forward to kiss him gently. Her forehead pressed to his, Rey adds, “And you stuck around even if you weren’t enjoying it. You sacrificed so much for me.”

Rey’s eyes are closed, but she can hear the slight smile playing on Ben’s mouth before he says, “Well, between you and me, I don’t think I hate this sport all that much anymore.”

Swelling with happiness, Rey presses another kiss to Ben’s lips. She’s not sure how she got so lucky as to meet a man like Ben. Not knowing what the future holds, Rey intends to hold on to what they have for as long as she possibly can.


	7. Chapter 7: A Turn for the Worse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It can't be all sunshine and roses - when some unexpected visitors appear at the training facility, Ben reacts in a not so perfect way. Rey is frustrated, but talking is hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is shorter - this felt like a natural place to end it! Stay tuned - the next few chapters are bigger (especially the finale in chapter ten!) and I'm so excited to share the ending with you!

Ben is doing some extra figures practice in the pool with Phasma when he hears a commotion in the hallway next to the pool. Having three stories of glass windows looking down at the pool means he sees everything that’s going on. 

He’s caught off guard when he watches Rey sprint down the hallway and into another man’s arms. There are two of them: the one Rey is hugging and the one next to him, who is propped up on crutches. “Ahh, looks like Finn and Poe have arrived,” Phasma says with the faint traces of a smile on her face. “Your predecessor and his partner,” she explains.

Ben pushes himself out of the pool and doesn’t realize a few of the girls in the hallway are staring, or that he’s been noticed by their new visitors. “You can go for the day,” Phasma says. “I think you know these figures as well as you’re going to, at this point.”

Nodding, Ben wanders to the locker room, trying not to get too frustrated by how eagerly and excitedly Rey greeted her old partner back. There’s no use in being jealous, he tells himself. And yet - the rage he’d felt when he saw Rey smiling so brightly at another man was something he hasn’t felt in a very long time. Not since he’d choked at the 2012 Olympics. He hurries through the shower in hopes of catching the group in the hallway, and he’s not disappointed.

Huddled together in a group, the girls are all chatting with Finn and Poe like old friends. Rey stands between the two men, still beaming. When her eyes find Ben at the back of the crowd, though, her expression brightens in excitement and she walks over to him. “Ben! Come meet Finn and Poe,” she says eagerly.

She doesn’t hesitate to take his hand and lead him through the group of women. “Kylo Ren, the legend himself,” Finn says with a huge, starstruck grin on his face. He holds out his hand and props himself up on his crutches in a meager attempt at a handshake. “It’s an honor to meet you.”

Ben snorts a little and shakes his hand. He doesn’t know what to say to that; he’s never had many people turn into gooey fans in front of him. “I wish I could apologize that it’s my fault you had to come in but rumor has it you’ve been treating our girl Rey here pretty well,” Poe says from the other side, smirking.

“What kinds of rumors have you heard?” Ben asks curiously.

Some of the women around him giggle and Rey glares firmly at them. “They haven’t heard  _ anything _ ,” Rey says flatly.

“Oh come on, Rey. I think it’s great. It’s about time you went on a date, met a good guy,” Poe says, clapping her on the shoulder.

Finn nods. “Yeah, man, I can’t thank you enough for helping her out,” he adds. “I felt awful when I found out I couldn’t compete.”

Everything about the situation is incredibly uncomfortable for Ben; he doesn’t understand people’s fascination with his and Rey’s relationship. It’s none of their business, quite frankly. And if they’re not quiet, rumors will start to spread. “Yeah, you’re welcome,” Ben replies to Finn awkwardly. He looks around and then turns to Rey. In a softer voice, he asks, “Do you want to get some dinner?

“Oh, we were all going to go get dinner together,” Rey replies with a smile. “Do you want to come?”

Having already asked Rey to dinner, Ben realizes he can’t very well say no, so he ends up dragged along to some twenty-four hour diner down the road, gathered around a table with nine laughing women and two men of whom he’s not entirely fond. Rey smiles and laughs and looks happier than he’s ever seen her, though, so Ben tries to focus on that.

She sits between Finn and Ben, and Ben can’t resist reaching over to rest his hand on her knee while they wait for their food. He doesn’t drift his hand much higher for fear of making Rey uncomfortable, but after a while he starts to consider it anyway because Rey’s attention is focused on Finn and Poe all night.

It’s stupid to be jealous. It is, and Ben knows it. Finn and Poe are in a relationship with each other - there’s no threat there. And yet, Ben dislikes them because they, too, can put the same smile on Rey’s face that he can, and he doesn’t want to share. Rey is the best thing to happen to him in a long time, and now he doesn’t get her entirely to himself. It bothers him.

So Ben tries to ignore that and focus on the conversation, even if he doesn’t have anything to contribute to it. He finds out that Finn and Poe met when the USA Synchro Association was holding Olympic tryouts, and they chartered flights from around the country. In the Pacific Northwest, where Finn and Rey were flying from, they were on a plane chartered by Dameron Industries. Poe is their best pilot, after his father Kes of course, and from there, Finn and Poe were on the fast track towards the rest of their lives together.

Now, they’d be flying a larger aircraft out to Tokyo in just six days, and Poe was to be the pilot for the whole team. That’s why he’s in upstate New York, at the training facility, early. And he’d brought Finn so he could support the team at the Olympics. They’re one big, happy family and it makes Ben’s stomach twist uncomfortably.

He’s grateful when the dinner is over, and only gets a chaste kiss from Rey before she bids him goodbye, choosing to watch a movie in Finn’s room with him before bed that night. “I’ll see you tomorrow, though?” she asks with a hopeful smile on her face.

“Bright and early at eight o’clock,” Ben nods.

They’ve got more practice time, but only a couple of hours instead of larger blocks of time like they’d had in the weeks prior. Ben is actually thankful for it; he’d spent weeks with sore muscles and would like to stretch and warm off some of that pain before the Olympics.

The next day, he keeps to himself during their practice and it shows. Maz and Phasma don’t even notice, because they’re too excited to have Finn there, watching the routine, cheering and giving advice. 

The last person Ben wants advice from is Finn.

Ben disappears as soon as their pool time is up, making a beeline for his hotel room. Rey’s too distracted to notice, anyway.

\---

The most frustrating thing about the situation isn’t even Rey and the whole team being completely enamored with Finn - it’s the fact that his mother knows exactly what’s going on as soon as he walks into the room.

She already has food on the table - some pasta she made in the little kitchenette, nothing special, but it’s a warm meal and Ben is starving. He sits down and doesn’t say a word, avoiding having to look at her sympathetic expression for as long as he can.

“Ben, honey…”

“What,” he snaps angrily. “Going to say ‘I told you so’?”

Leia sighs and sits down across from Ben at the table. “No. I was going to ask how you were.”

He glares up at his mother through his damp, dark hair. “Great. Fantastic. Never been better.”

Leia has spent years fighting with her son over a million different things. His relationship with his father, his ambitions, his frustrations with school, with classmates. Everything under the sun, they’ve probably fought about before. Relationships are still relatively new territory, but after the disaster in 2012, she feels it’s time to speak up now, rather than later.

“Ben… I’m worried about you,” she says softly.

“I’m thirty-four, mom,” Ben replies. “I don’t need you to worry about me.”

“Well, I do,” Leia says. Her voice is firm and Ben can already tell she’s not going to let this go. “I saw what happened to you last time you got caught up in a girl during the Olympics. And Ben - you have to know that I want you to be happy. I want you to find someone and fall in love and build a life for yourself that isn’t just swimming.”

Ben looks up. He hears what she’s not saying; she’d like grandchildren one day. It’d help with the loneliness, he’d guess. Once he moves out, after these Olympics are over, she’s going to be all alone because his father is too busy working. “Mom…”

“I want you to be happier than I am,” she says finally. After she takes a deep breath, Leia continues, “And for you to be happy, you need to be completely focused on the Olympics right now. You can’t be worrying about Rey, or what she’s doing with her other friends. You can’t lose yourself in fits of rage out of jealousy and worry.”

“I don’t do that.”

Leia just looks at her son. She knows full well he knows that’s not true. He has a temper, and they’re both well aware of it.

Rolling his eyes, Ben sighs and decides to hear his mother out. He shovels a big forkful of pasta into his mouth and chews as he waits. When she doesn’t say anything, he prompts, “So what is it you’re telling me to do?”

“I can’t tell you to do anything, you and I both know that,” Leia snaps simply.

Ben sighs. “Semantics.” He looks up and blindly stabs at some more pasta. “What do you  _ suggest  _ I do?”

Leia’s face softens. “What you should have done last time,” she says gently. “Call it off. Make it quick, painless. Just tell her it should wait until after the games, at least. That way you two can focus entirely on the event.”

“But I’ll hurt her.”

Leia sighs. “No matter what happens, someone is going to get hurt.”

Ben takes another bite of pasta before he says anything. “I can handle the pain better than she can,” he says. His tone tells Leia that his word is final. “I will bear it, not her. That is my final decision.”

Frowning, Leia tilts her head to really study her son. He’s grown a lot in the past few weeks, and it’s been very hard on him. He’s happier most of the time, but also withdrawn from her. All she’s ever wanted was for her son to be happy, despite any misguided attempts she may make when giving her bad advice. The conversation ends, and Ben decides to disappear in the room to get some sleep. He has practice bright and early the next day.

\---

Ben is pleased to see that when he meets Rey at the pool at eight o’clock the next morning, she and Phasma are the only ones at the pool. She greets him with a smile, but they don’t touch. Ben’s sour expression from the day before still hasn’t faded, and Rey has picked up on the fact that something isn’t right between them. The problem is, she doesn’t know how to ask what happened.

So she just doesn’t. They run through the routines, free first, and then tech. Phasma pushes them harder than she has all month. “Ben! You have to watch when you do the [torpedo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ19IHkBLLs) out of that move,” Phasma shouts, over and over again. “Your body is longer than hers, so use less strength. You have to stay in line with her in the water.”

“You’re telling me to use less strength when that’s all I’ve been training in for the last ten years!?” Ben shouts. “I can’t just  _ stop _ .”

He’s fed up with everything - Rey being more interested in spending time with Finn and Poe than with her, his mother’s meddling in his love life, and now practice - he’s frustrated beyond measure.

“Use your strength in different ways,” Rey suggests.

“Maybe you should just push more, to keep up with me in the water,” Ben counters.

Rey looks confused for a moment, and then hurt, and Phasma speaks up and says, “You don’t need to do that, Rey. He can slow himself down.”

“It’s okay, I can do it,” she says firmly.

There’s a determined, set look in her eye, and she doesn’t know why he’s fighting so much today, but she’s not going to fight a losing battle. If Ben is frustrated and can’t do something, she can try to fix it in the other extreme. It’s the least she can do, considering he’s gone through all the trouble to help her.

Phasma looks disappointed, but sighs and says, “Fine. Run it again.”

So they run the segment a few more times, Rey pushing more and more as she does the torpedo out until they’re in line with each other. Phasma seems satisfied enough, though she keeps giving Ben looks as though they’re going to have a strongly-worded conversation later, or that worse - Maz is going to do the talking. Ben doesn’t care, though. He’s frustrated and tense and needs to clear his mind somehow. Usually shouting does the trick.

Their pool time ends at one o’clock, and Rey climbs out of the pool without so much as looking at Ben. Usually she waits around for him and they walk to the locker rooms together. Sometimes they even make plans.

“Hey, Rey - wait up,” Ben says, grabbing his towel from the bleachers.

Rey turns on her heel, and when she does, Ben sees the scowl of anger on her face. This disarms him and he looks at her with a stupid expression on his face. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

“What’s  _ wrong _ ?!” Rey asks incredulously. With a sigh, she drops the expression. She doesn’t want to fight. “What’s wrong is that I just spent the entire morning swimming with Kylo Ren, the asshole I met six weeks ago. I don’t know why you felt the need to become  _ that guy _ again but it was terrible.”

“Rey -,”

“No,” she interrupts. “I don’t know why you’re so angry again, but if it’s something I did, just tell me! I didn’t think anything changed. I thought we were good. You know - happy. But clearly you’re not and you’re making it your mission to make sure I’m not, either.”

Rather stupidly, Ben doesn’t know what to say to that. It may just be that there’s water dripping down her forehead, but Rey’s eyes look a little wet and glassy. It causes an uncomfortable twist in Ben’s gut, wondering if he was about to make her cry. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she says finally, when he waits too long to speak, before disappearing into the women’s locker room.

Now, Ben thinks, he’s  _ really _ screwed it all up.

\---

**Ben:** i’m sorry

**Rey:** For what?

**Ben:** being an ass at the pool today

**Rey:** I want to know why.

**Ben:** long story. can i see you?

**Rey:** I don’t really want to see you. Besides, I’m icing my arms and shoulders and can’t move.

**Ben:** then how are you texting?

**Rey:** Rose is doing it for me.

**Ben:** oh ok.

**Ben:** see you tomorrow then?

**Rey:** Yeah, I guess so.

**Ben:** goodnight. sleep well.

Rey closes her phone without sending a response. She rolls over in bed, ignoring the sound of her teammates all laughing and having a good time in the room next door - even Rose. Curling up in a little ball, Rey squeezes her eyes shut. She’d needed that little white lie so she could have some time to figure out what to do next, in solitude in her room. It wasn’t a total lie, though - after having to push more in the pool to keep up with Ben’s long body in the water, her arms and shoulders were incredibly sore. She had cold compresses over her shoulders, but could still text.

Her heart aches as she wishes her mom was there to give her some advice, to tell her what to do. Something has changed with Ben and she doesn’t know what it is. Summoning the words and courage to ask, though, feels like a bigger task than Rey is prepared to take on. Whatever it is, Ben will tell her in his own time, if he wants to tell her.

Until then, Rey just hopes that whatever is wrong won’t kill their chances of winning a medal at the Olympics.


	8. Chapter 8: So Many Miles to Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Rey need to fix their relationship if they have any hopes of winning - but with their arrival in Tokyo and the presence of other Olympians, are their chances at Olympic gold dashed for good?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you to the readers for commenting and giving kudos - I wouldn't be doing this without you! Many thanks to Mariah and Rachel as well, for reading this over for me.
> 
> Stay tuned - chapters nine and ten will come tomorrow and Friday, and then I have a special treat for you on Saturday!

There’s a flurry of excitement as the team boards the charter plane the next morning. Poe stands dutifully by the door, smiling at all the swimmers as they board the large size private jet that will escort the USA Synchro team to and from the Olympics. Finn is already comfortably seated in one of the lounge-chair style seats, and Rey beams at him as she takes a seat next to him. Ben claims the opposite corner, setting his bags in the seat next to him, not really in the mood to speak to the rest of the team.

He’d been reamed by Maz the day before for her treatment of Rey in the pool. She’d made the change Phasma wanted - Ben had to slow down, use less strength so Rey wouldn’t pull a muscle or hurt herself trying to keep her small body in line with Ben’s. He’d been put in his place, and he hadn’t even had the strength to argue.

After Rey had said she didn’t want to see him, he’d lashed out in a rage, breaking a lamp in the hotel room. Leia knew her son was hurting and tried to talk him down from it, but kept a safe distance as well. Things would work out in their own time and she had a feeling he didn’t want her meddling, anyway. Poe and his pilot buddy Temmin Wexley - Snap, as he’d asked the team to call him - flew them the fourteen hours from New York to Tokyo.

There was space in the jet for land-drilling, so that’s the sort of practice the team did between naps and meals on the flight. Most of the time, though, the coaches let the team lounge around. They’d been working nonstop for months, and at this point, there wasn’t much more the team could learn or improve upon, at least not outside of a pool.

Somewhere over Russia, Rey wanders over to sit with Paige and Rose. She sits down in front of Paige, who just finished giving Connix a back rub, and now it’s Rey's turn. Paige is an expert at back massages, and her warm hands soothe Rey’s still-sore muscles. The girls are quiet for a few minutes, but neither Tico sister can keep their mouth shut for long.

“You should go talk to him,” Rose suggests.

“He looks miserable,” Paige adds. Ben is sitting sideways in his chair, trying but failing to sleep as the flight continues on.

Rey sighs and pulls her knees to her chest. Resting her chin upon them, she says, “I don’t know what to say to him. He’s turned… mean. Back into the guy I met when he first started.”

“I bet he’s scared,” Rose wagers.

Rey scoffs. “He’s won four gold medals.”

“Yeah, but all of them in the 2016 Olympics. He was the fastest qualifier in 2012 and then he choked,” Paige says. “If I remember correctly, that choke had something to do with a girl.”

Rey frowns. She made it her business not to get too nosy, especially about fellow teammates. She didn’t know what schools some of her teammates swam for, or what other competitions or accolades they’d won - it had never mattered to her. As long as they could swim, they were good. Clearly, Paige had done some digging. 

“Talk to him,” Paige repeats. 

Rey sighs.

They land in Tokyo before Rey can believe it, and it’s the furthest she’s ever been away from home. All around her she hears people speaking in a language she can’t understand, and suddenly she feels lost and a little out of her element. Not scared, necessarily, but something close to that. 

Other teams have landed as well, and they’re all routed through Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to get to where they’re going. If the airport felt chaotic, it’s nothing compared to the hotel. Hallways are lined with athletes and coaches from all over the world, speaking all sorts of languages. Rey stays quiet, observant. Finn had hung back at the airport with Poe and Snap, which meant Rey flocked to her teammates now instead. They stayed huddled together, though it helped immensely that each team was wearing their team gear with their country’s colors and name on it. The ten USA Synchro swimmers that had been sent to the Olympics are situated on the seventh floor of one of the many hotels booked up to maximum capacity due to the Olympics, back in the corner past all the rooms where the USA swim team athletes are staying.

Ben is assigned to the same room as Rey, Rose, and Paige - the athletes don’t get the luxury of their own beds. Each double bed is to be shared, because there’s not enough room for people to spread out. Ben and Rey appreciate the coaches for thinking of them, but the thought of sharing a bed, of sharing space with each other, feels oddly uncomfortable all of a sudden.

As they walk down the hallway past the myriad of Olympians, Rey sees a few familiar faces. When she spots Armitage Hux down the hallway, surrounded by some of his swimming friends, Rey gravitates towards Ben. This won’t end well, she’s sure of it. 

Sure enough, as they reach that point in the hallway, Hux puts on a snarled, twisted smirk. “Well if it isn’t Kylo Ren,” Hux says, bemused. “Making his desperate attempt at the Olympics by deigning to swim such a…  _ feminine _ event.”

“Enough, Hux.”

“You know, Snoke’s offer still stands,” Hux says, his eyes deliberately drifting to Rey, who stands firmly planted at Ben’s side. She may not be affectionate towards him right now, or holding his hand, but something about her presence helps Ben push away the rage he feels bubbling at the surface.

Confused, Rey asks, “What offer?”

Hux’s menacing grin grows even wider. “What offer?” he repeats, bemused. When he looks back up at Ben, he barks out a laugh. “The offer to return to the United States swim team, of course.” Hux looks Rey in the eye and it’s the most unsettling gaze she’s ever felt upon her. “At dinner last week, Snoke offered Kylo a spot on the team. Our alternate - who had to join since Kylo didn’t take the spot - is unreliable. His swim times are excellent one day and abysmal the next. We don’t like uncertainty. Kylo, here, is a reliable swimmer. Almost as good as me.” Ben tenses, ready to strike. Rey grips the sleeve of his jacket, a gentle plea to contain his anger.

“Kylo didn’t take the offer, clearly, but it still stands. We need you. You’d get to swim at least one event, because we’ve got to make sure Lindo doesn’t strain his shoulder even more. 200 meter freestyle - your  _ favorite _ event. And your best, too. You’d be practically  _ guaranteed _ a medal,” Hux says, every word deliberate and dripping with temptation.

Rey slides her hand into Ben’s, a futile attempt to try to remind him that she’s here, and to not let Hux get under his skin. It’s not working.

“There’s still time,” Hux reminds him. “You know where to find us.”

“He has a team,” Rey says flatly. “He doesn’t need you.”

Hux barks out another laugh and looks down at Rey. “Does he, now? Is that why he almost accepted our offer on the spot, at dinner last week?” Hux asks with a sickening smile. “I have a feeling that if you weren’t putting out for him, he’d have defected to us almost immediately.” Looking back up at Kylo, Hux tuts and adds, “She’s not even as pretty as the last one. I’m disappointed in you.”

With that, Hux is pulled away by some of his teammates, leaving Ben seething in the hallway. “Um… we’re just going to go hang out with the team for a bit,” Rose says awkwardly. “You two can have some time in the room.”

Ben doesn’t hear her, but Rey does, and she can’t even find it in herself to grow shy or embarrassed because the implications aren’t there. Rose thinks they need to talk, and Rey thinks that there’s not going to be a better opportunity than this one, so she should just do it now. “Come on,” she says softly to Ben, giving his hand a squeeze to remind him she’s there. “We need to get out of here.”

She can feel his anger, rippling off of him in waves. It’d be terrifying if she weren’t so sympathetic to him. He’s been through a lot; he has reason to be frustrated with Hux, and he’s been put in a terrible situation. Snoke offering Ben a spot on the team after he’s worked so hard at synchro for weeks on end was the worst thing he could have possibly done - tempting Ben with something he wants so badly - a promise to swim his favorite event, a guaranteed medal. 

Rey doesn’t even have a chance to look around the room at how nice the hotel is. Usually, she does, because she’s a very curious girl. Instead, she keeps her focus on Ben, whose dark eyes are filled with a million emotions. Confusion. Loss. Anger. Frustration. She can’t fathom how he’s feeling in that moment, not with the weight of the Olympics on his shoulders now that they’re in Tokyo, now that their events are right there on the horizon.

“You can go,” Ben says flatly. “Your teammates probably want to practice or something.”

“They can wait,” Rey says. Her voice is strong and firm and she’s not letting him get rid of her that easily. “We need to talk.”

Ben sits down on the edge of the bed. Rey sits next to him. Their eyes don’t meet. Sighing, Rey decides to ask the safer question first. “Why didn’t you tell me about Snoke’s offer?”

“Because it doesn’t matter.”

Rey frowns. “It matters to you,” she replies. “You miss it. You want that medal.”

“I don’t care about the medal,” Ben snaps. He looks up at Rey and his eyes are intense. The strength of his gaze startles her a little. “I don’t like the people on that team. I wasn’t going to take the deal.”

Rey knows it’s not wise to doubt him when he’s in this kind of mood, but another part of her believes his every word. Whether or not he actually would have taken the deal, she’d like to think that they’d forged enough of a connection to make him want to stay. 

“On that team it was every man for himself. Here it’s different.”

It’s a huge risk, but Rey takes it: she makes a joke. “Whereas here you’re the only man?”

Ben raises an eyebrow, but thankfully doesn’t get angry at the joke. “Well, I guess,” he concedes. “I mean - here everyone is friends.”

“We’re a team,” Rey says simply. “A team that includes  _ you _ . If you’d let us in.”

“What does that mean?”

Rey scoots a little closer to Ben where they sit together on the bed. She gently puts her hand in his again, threading their fingers together. She takes a deep breath and says, “You’ve been closing us off for at least a week now. And… there’s a lot of things that are being said… about me, about you…” Rey glances up at Ben. Her stomach twists with fear and worry before she prompts, “Tell me about the girl. The one at the 2012 Olympics.”

Ben sighs and closes his eyes. He’d known it was only a matter of time before she found out and wanted the full story. Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, Ben buries his face in his hands. He takes a deep breath; he’s not entirely sure where to begin. Finally, he just dives in. “It was eight years ago. I was young, but not young enough to explain how stupid I was,” he says.

“How old were you?” Rey wonders, realizing she’s got absolutely no clue how old he is.

“I was twenty-six at the time,” Ben says. Rey does the math in her head; thirty-four. He’s a lot older than she thought. She bites her lip. Thankfully, he doesn’t notice, but rather, just continues his story. “She did long distance speed swimming for the United States women’s team. We were all using the same training facility out in Nebraska.”

Ben rubs his hands down his face, brushing over the stubble he hasn’t yet shaved away. He feels exhausted just drawing upon these memories, but he wants Rey to know the truth. He sighs. “We hit it off right away. She was beautiful, and smart, and about my age. It was so sudden. We spoke once at dinner at the beginning of training and then all of a sudden we were never apart,” Ben says. 

His voice sounds strained, like even the memories are painful to call upon. “We’d do everything together. We’d race each other in the pool during free practice hours. Obviously we did the… physical stuff.” He shifts on the bed. “I was so exhausted, but I’d never been happier. My dad still hadn’t noticed me, but someone other than my mom had, and that was a big deal to me at the time. My teammates were never exactly fond of me, and you never make friends with the coaches.”

“So what happened?” Rey wonders, her voice soft and gentle, not pressuring him for anything.

“Over the course of the training weeks, she’d get more demanding. She’d want to go out on more dates. She’d get angry if I’d do extra practices in the evenings with a teammate or coach,” Ben goes on. “I don’t think I stayed in my own hotel room much, because I was always in hers. She always wanted a date, or a present, or sex.  _ God _ I was exhausted - and not in a way that felt good or exciting. Not like this.”

He looks over at Rey, hoping she knows that he sees there’s a difference here, between what happened in 2012, and what’s happening now in 2020. Rey’s face holds no judgment, but Ben can see the sadness and pity in her eyes as she gazes at him. Those emotions make his gut twist uncomfortably - he  _ hates _ when people pity him - and he hopes he can wipe that expression from her face somehow.

“Anyway,” he continues with a sigh, burying his face in his hands again, “The day before we flew out for London, she tells me that her boyfriend will be at the games to watch her. I was such a fool, I thought she meant me. But no, she was seeing someone else. I was just there to scratch an itch for her.”

Rey is full on frowning at this point in the story, and her hand starts to rub gentle circles into Ben’s tense back. She lets him take his time talking about what happened from then on. “I was angry, but thought I could handle it. She said I’d never have to actually see him, so I’d have no idea,” Ben explains. “But sure enough he was there with her for the opening ceremonies and I was  _ angry _ . I - I have a bad temper.”

The smallest of smiles quirks at the corner of Rey’s mouth. The fact that he felt he had to tell her that was sweet; everyone around knows he’s got the worst of tempers. “So not only did she wear me down so I was sore and exhausted and broke before I ever even got to London, but then she turns around and tells me she’s already got a boyfriend and just tosses me aside like I was nothing to her,” he says tersely. 

There’s tension and frustration in his voice and Rey can hear it. She scoots a little closer to him on the bed, the two of them probably a comical sight as her tiny body works to try to wrap an arm around his shoulders to comfort him. “She messed with my mind and my body and when it came time to swim - to do what I’d actually been working towards for the past few months - I fell apart. I was too sore, and too angry, and too distracted. She even brought her boyfriend to watch me swim an event, which was probably the lowest thing she could have ever done. I was  _ livid _ .”

“She shouldn’t have done that,” Rey says softly. Ben looks over at her. “She shouldn’t have done any of that and I would  _ never _ hurt you like that.”  Ben nods, believing her words entirely. “That is not going to happen to us,” she adds, sounding so sure of every word coming out of her mouth. “You and I are a team. I care about you, and there’s no one else.” 

Rey pauses, and then suddenly realization dawns upon her. Ben has to look away. “It was Finn and Poe, wasn’t it? What set you off, made you so angry?”

“I’m sorry.”

Rey reaches out, her warm hand cupping his face, guiding him so they’re eye to eye again. “You have nothing to worry about,” she reassures him. “They’re very happily taken with each other, and I don’t think of them that way.”

“I know,” Ben confesses, eyes looking down at the floor. “That’s part of what made me so angry. I was jealous but knew I didn’t have to be.”

His honesty strikes Rey and she realizes now just how strongly Ben feels everything. Somehow, his emotions seem stronger, heightened, no matter what they are. “Ben, look at me,” Rey says softly. Ben obeys, bringing his gaze back up to lock with hers. “You are the only person I’ve ever had these feelings for. I care about you  _ so much _ . I would never hurt you.”

His dark eyes grow a little wider, surprised by the sentiment Rey feels so sure about. The anger and sadness dissipates slowly from his eyes, and Rey feels a certain pride at knowing she can talk with him about difficult things and they’ll still come out okay on the other side. “I don’t want to hurt you, either,” Ben says. “But I know who I am and I know that’s impossible.”

Rey smiles; his honesty, while a bit painful to hear, is sweet all the same. “So long as you try, that’s all I could ask,” Rey replies.

She leans forward, pressing a soft kiss to Ben’s lips. She hopes he understands how much she cares, even after such a rough few days. His honesty is refreshing and Rey certainly didn’t picture a man like Ben in her future but yet somehow she can’t picture a life without him in it now. 

When she leans away, Rey looks into Ben’s eyes, studying him. “I wish you had come to talk to me about how you were feeling, about Finn and Poe,” Rey tells him.

“You were so happy to see them,” Ben replies.

Rey frowns. “I would have been happier if you’d been happy, too.”

He looks up at Rey with surprise. People wanting his happiness - it’s not a foreign concept, per se, but he’s used to it being obligatory because his mother is his mother. Hearing Rey say she hopes for his happiness spreads a warmth through Ben’s chest that knocks the wind out of him and he doesn’t know how to respond to her.

Rey sees the look of surprise in Ben’s eyes, and she smiles as warmly as she can. She hopes he knows just how much she’s grown to care for him; it’s difficult for her to convey it because she doesn’t know the timeline of these things - what she should say, and when. What will spook him, or what’s perfectly timed. Words often fail her anyway, so she presses another kiss to his lips, trying to share her emotions with him in this way instead.

Ben’s hand gently rests on her hip as he deepens the kiss, taking his time. Rey wants more, though, to distract him from his thoughts, to prove that she’s interested in only him. She twists where she sits next to him, turning to swing a leg up and over, straddling his lap as Rey the kiss deepens. One of her hands drifts through his hair, pressing it out of the way.

He’s surprised by this new development, of the sure and confident weight of Rey on his lap, but Ben doesn’t ask questions. He scoots back ever so slightly on the bed, one arm strong around her waist, holding her steady. Rey shifts her lips against his slowly, Ben’s mouth warm and reassuring against her own. She gasps ever so slightly as his arm around her waist pulls her impossibly close to him, body to body. His tongue brushes faintly over her lower lip and though she feels clumsy and inexperienced, she parts her lips.

The kiss moves languidly, Rey reveling in the feeling of Ben’s hands strong and warm on her back, his tongue tasting her mouth, memorizing every little detail about her. She feels strong and yet helpless all at once, head swirling as she tries to keep up with everything happening to her. Her lips feel a little bruised, on fire with how good the kiss is, and there’s a warmth pooling in her belly. All she can do is hold Ben around his shoulders, fingers toying with his hair at the nape of his neck. Her hips roll against him and something clicks in her head. 

Rey wants this. She isn’t sure what exactly it is she wants, but it’s more than she’s done before, and she can figure out how to do the rest. It’ll show him exactly how much she cares.

They fall back on the bed, Rey’s mouth moving against Ben’s slowly, a little hesitantly. He grips her hips as they land with a soft  _ thud _ on the blankets, her hair suddenly falling in his face. She leans away to brush it to the side and can suddenly feel how hot her cheeks are, how hot the room has become. Ben looks up at her, but when his eyes catch hers there’s a flash of uncertainty in her eyes and he can’t bring himself to let things go any further. 

“Rey…” he whispers.

“It’s okay…” she replies back.

Ben rolls them on the bed so Rey is lying back on the bed, her hair fanned out in a mess across the starched white blankets. He lies on his side, studying her. “You don’t need to prove anything to me,” he says, his fingers drifting over her midriff and resting on her hip. “And I don’t want you to regret it.”

“I’m fine,” Rey insists, gazing up at him with such innocence in her eyes it almost pains him to see. She’s so earnest, so trusting.

Ben sits up and pushes his hair out of his face. “I’m sure you are,” he says. Rey has always been rather stubborn. “But I don’t want your first time to be like this.”

“ _ I _ get to choose what my first time is like,” Rey reminds him.

Ben looks at her with a blank expression, annoyance edging in, mixed with some amusement. Then he asks simply, “Do you really want your first time to be after a fourteen hour flight with hardly any sleep, after your first argument with your boyfriend, right before you compete in your dream event at the  _ Olympics _ ?”

Rey looks away and tries as hard as she can not to smile. The word  _ boyfriend _ sends a thrill through her that she wasn’t expecting. She likes the feeling. “Well, when you put it  _ that _ way…” she concedes. With feigned exasperation, she says, "Okay, you're right..."

Ben leans in to kiss Rey gently, promising her with actions that they'll get there, eventually. His hair falls in the way and brushes over her nose as he pulls away. It makes her giggle and Ben can’t fight his smile. 

Things feel okay again.


	9. Chapter 9: Started at the Bottom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when Ben and Rey think it'll be smooth sailing, one last little hiccup arises. In addition, they start to realize that their time together is coming to a close.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Mostly a developmental chapter here, but tomorrow is the big finale: the Olympics! As always, thank you for reading, and many thanks to my betas. <3

The opening ceremonies are about as big and flashy as one would imagine. The team participates in the Parade of Nations, as one of the sports that had been nominated to walk that year to wave to the crowds. The synchronized swim team dresses in their team gear - white jackets and pants with red and blue stripes down the legs and sleeves, the letters ‘USA’ in bright blue and red on the back of the jacket. They’re flashy and bright, but the team has fun. Ben never strays too far from Rey, though they never hold hands or draw too much attention to themselves.

Leia texts Ben sometime during the parade, about one of the moments where Ben put his hand on the small of Rey’s back to guide her away from talking to all the children along the sides of the parade route. Apparently a photographer snapped a photo of it and it’s going viral, the story of America’s new synchro duet and their potential budding romance. Ben tells Rey, but they decide to ignore it.

They’re both totally in favor of having dinner with the rest of the team that evening, but as it turns out, Leia is very insistent that Ben and Rey both join her for dinner. Ben is skeptical, but when Rey’s expression lights up at the idea, he can’t say no. “Your mother was so nice to me when we first met,” Rey says with a smile. “I can’t wait to see her again.”

“I’m not sure…” Ben trails off, but doesn’t try to dissuade her. He knows he can’t change her mind now that she’s made it up. All he knows is he doesn't trust his mother.

They go to the hotel room and change into something a little less flashy, and then take a cab to the address his mom had given them. The restaurant is nondescript - high brow, more so than Rey was expecting - and not too far from the hotel. The city around them is a zoo but it all quiets as they walk inside. The hostess kindly takes them to their table and Rey feels eager butterflies flitting around her stomach. She hasn’t seen Leia in months. She wants to thank her for encouraging Ben to keep showing up, to keep trying. 

Rey feels Ben turn tense beside her and it takes a moment, but she finally catches on to what he’s looking at.

Han Solo.

_ The _ Han Solo.

He’s sitting at the table next to Leia, looking uncomfortable but earnest. “No,” Ben says under his breath. “Nope. I’m not doing it.”

“Ben,” Rey whispers, her hand flying quickly to catch his, to thread their fingers together and give a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay. He’s here. This is a big deal.”

“It’s the wrong time. It’s not a good time,” he mutters. “Why  _ now _ ? Of all the times, why  _ now _ ?”

Rey glances up at Ben, and then back to the table. “You should ask him.”

Leia greets Ben with a hug, and Rey with a less enthusiastic hug. In fact, she almost looks disappointed that Rey is there. It fills Rey with confusion and doubt, and now she doesn’t know how to act. She feels like she’s wrong, in her own skin. It bothers her to no end - she’s never met someone aside from Ben who has treated her so coldly.

They sit, they order, and they eat. The conversation is stilted. Ben never asks his father why he’s there. Rey never thanks Leia like she’d intended to. It’s weird - for everyone.

By the time the check is paid, Rey is as eager to leave as Ben was and still is. Never would she have imagined that the dinner would go quite so badly, and she doesn’t want to talk about it the whole way back. She just keeps herself anchored to him somehow - during the dinner, she’d bumped her knee against his, or put her hand on his leg. Now, in the cab, she holds his hand and lays her head on his shoulder.

Rey and Ben don’t talk until they’re in the hotel room, where they’re unsurprised to find that Paige and Rose are in someone else’s room, hanging out and watching a movie. Ben changes into pajamas while Rey takes off her makeup and changes in the bathroom. After that, they skip any sort of intimacy they might’ve been yearning for the night before in favor of sitting together under the blankets, shoulder to shoulder, hands clasped together.

Only the lamp on the bedside table is on, and Rey finds the soft, dim lighting to be soothing. Now they have eight days to practice before their event begins. Eight days until this crazy ride is over. It feels surreal.

They sit in silence for a while, until the nagging feeling in Rey’s brain can no longer be ignored. Softly, she asked, “Why doesn’t your mom like me anymore?”

Ben sighs; he’d been expecting the question, of course, but he hated that Rey even had to ask. His mother should be better, more discrete. She’s older and can act more mature. Instead, she acted towards Rey the same way that Ben had acted towards his father, and in Ben’s eyes, it was unacceptable. He knows it’s hypocritical of him to be upset, but his parents behaved unacceptably all the same.

“Remember that story I told you about the girl at the 2012 Olympics?” he asks.

Rey gives his hand a squeeze. “I remember,” she replies.

Ben tries to look over at Rey, but his chin just brushes the top of her head since she’s using his shoulder as pillow. “That’s why,” he says simply. “She’s worried the same thing will happen to me now as it did then. She told me I should break up with you, actually.”

“I’m not going to do that to you,” Rey reassures him.

“I know,” he replies instantly; he didn’t doubt her for a second. “But she doesn’t.”

Rey frowns. She’d thought she made a better impression than that, but they’d only met on the grounds that she was his swim partner, no more. Perhaps this added romantic element was what made her weary, but theirs was a team event. Rey would be taken down too if she hurt Ben. “If she’d give me a chance…”

Ben releases Rey’s hand in favor of wrapping his arm around her shoulder instead. “Don’t stress over it, okay?” he says. “The only way we can convince her she’s wrong is if we swim together, and we swim well. I can’t think of any other way.”

Sighing, Rey nods. She doesn’t like his answer, even if she knows it’s the right one. The feeling of knowing someone disapproves of her, of something she’s doing, gets under her skin. Very softly, Rey says, “I’m glad you didn’t break up with me.” She curls up against him and admits, “I would have been worse in the pool if you had.”

Ben nods and presses a kiss to the top of her head; it’s the most tender, gentle thing he’s probably ever done. “Yeah,” he agrees. “I would’ve been, too.”

\---

They get time in a pool the next day to practice, and the whole of the USA synchronized swim team is there in the space. It’s a smaller pool than they’re used to, as the Olympic sized pool is being used that week by the speed swimmers. It’s a local community pool, and any family members who came out to watch are in the audience, too - including Leia and Han.

Ben and Rey are first up, and they get two hours to run their routines each day until they get in the pool. They stand on the pool deck together, ready to run the tech routine. They keep going with the music, only messing up a little bit on the lift, even if it had quickly become the lift they were best at. Ben isn’t smiling when he goes above water, like he’s supposed to. Rey can feel that he feels out of his skin, like he’s uncomfortable.

It’s because Han is there, she’s sure of it.

Phasma and Maz make them do the lift a few times without the music, and then run the routine a couple more times, but it’s not up to par. It’s not as good as it was the week before. The free routine isn’t much better.

Ben is cracking under the pressure of his father’s gaze and everything is going to fall apart because of  _ this _ . All of Leia’s well-intended advice had completely ignored the fact that Han’s presence could affect Ben’s performance more than any girl could. It wouldn’t be his age, or his attitude, or dating - it would be  _ Han _ .

Their two hours in the pool are up and Maz gives them a thorough talking-to while the next duet hops in the pool. The entire time they’re being lectured, Ben is glaring at his father. Of all the times for him to show up… it frustrates him to no end. He can’t put into words how livid he is at his father’s sudden reappearance.

But then Maz is done talking and Rey is leading him aside and the rage slowly subsides. “Come with me,” she says, pulling on her team jacket. Ben does the same. They dress in their team gear over their suits and walk outside.

The sidewalks are buzzing with people - athletes, spectators, residents of Tokyo. Rey likes the feeling of being lost in the crowd with Ben. She doesn’t think twice about the consequences. They’re not the big names, not like Hux, who even had a spread in a magazine this year. She holds Ben's  hand and looks up at him in the bright summer sun. “You need to forget about him. Remember why you’re doing this,” she says.

“I don’t have nearly as good a reason as you,” Ben replies simply.

He glances at her; clearly he’s still uncomfortable, but he’s felt worse. She wishes he’d smile, though. “Yes you do,” Rey says simply. “Because for once you’re doing something because you want to be.”

Ben snorts. “And how do you know I wasn’t doing that before?”

“Easy,” Rey replies. “You said that team was every man for himself. And you didn’t take their deal. Something about synchro appeals to you. You chose this over your own sport.”

He stops on the sidewalk to look at her - really look at her. God, she looked almost ethereal in the sunlight, with her damp skin drying under the warmth of the sun, her eyes sparkling in the bright midday light. She smiled up at him like it was the easiest thing in the world, a bright ray of light in his dark world. Like it was just what she  _ did _ . And maybe now it was, though Ben couldn’t quite comprehend why. At least he understood how she'd gotten her name, now. Or maybe her parents didn't even know, they just had a feeling she'd be a light for someone else one day. It was all rather poetic. “At the risk of sounding like a total idiot, I’m not going to say what I was about to say, but… yes. You’re right. Something about this sport appeals to me,” Ben nods. He’s trying so hard to stay tough and not get totally cheesy.

Rey beams brighter, if it was at all possible. “Tell me!” she urges.

“Nope,” Ben says, failing to hide his smile any longer.

“Tell me!” she pleads again, stepping a little closer to him. “Please?”

Ben rolls his eyes and breaks out into a full-on grin. “Fine. You know what appeals to me most about synchro?” Rey just watches him, both of her smaller hands holding one of his larger hands. Finally, he replies, “You.”

Rey chuckles ever so slightly and says, “I knew it.”

“Stop,” Ben whines. He’s not open or romantic very often - admitting that had almost been painful, if it hadn’t made Rey look so happy. 

“Okay, so… let’s use that,” Rey says simply. “You like spending time with me. You like when I’m happy. So this week… focus on me. Not your dad, or your mom, or Hux… just me.”

“Someone likes attention,” Ben jokes.

“I mean it!” Rey insists. “It’ll keep you from focusing on the wrong things and having another practice like you did today. And in the meantime, we’ll ask Maz to do closed practices - nobody but other people on the team can be in the space. Maybe that will help.”

Ben is quiet, and Rey wonders if she’s said something wrong. Her smile drops a little, and she asks, “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” Ben says, shaking his head. He lets go of her hand, choosing instead to wrap his arms around her waist. “You’re just…” He can’t find the word he wants, though. Rey is indescribable. She smiles, understanding where he’s trying to go with it. 

“Thank you,” she says, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Without hesitation, Ben leans in to press a kiss to Rey’s lips. It’s chaste but warm, a gentle comfort after a rough morning of practice. The world goes on moving around them, people moving in every direction, not a single person paying them any mind. 

Rey and Ben have never felt happier.

\---

Practices go better after that, and Rey and Ben both feel like they have a chance at placing in the Olympic competition. The night before the week of synchronized swimming events begins, Ben and Rey go out on a date. It’s probably their only chance to go out in Tokyo and explore, to have a date in somewhere as foreign and exotic as Japan.

They go out for sushi, a meal Rey has never actually had. Ben’s had it more times than he can count, so as they sit together at a counter, a conveyor belt with various sushi dishes rolling past them, he makes recommendations. He explains the different sushi rolls, and how to hold the chopsticks, but in the end, Rey eats it with her fingers.

She’s not graceful when she eats. In fact, she’s probably the most barbaric eater Ben has ever seen. He wonders why she’s like that, but not enough to ask. Perhaps it’s her habit of cramming in meals between swim practices. Or maybe she just always waits until she’s incredibly hungry and scarfs it all down. As weird it is, Ben sort of finds it cute. She’s so small, and very pretty - her eating habits lie in stark contrast to her outward appearance.

When they finish, Rey glances outside. “Do you want to go for a walk?” she asks. They didn’t go far from their hotel, and could probably walk back. Besides, if they walk, she can have a little more alone time with him. Rose and Paige have been pretty good about leaving the room for extended periods of time, but Rey is starting to feel bad. They should feel welcome, too. It’s as much their room as it is Rey and Ben’s.

“Sure,” Ben nods.

They pay the bill and leave the restaurant, feeling more relaxed than they have in days. Rey takes Ben’s hand like it’s second nature to her now, and together they walk down the sidewalk. Their pace is slow; they take their time and stay to the side, people passing them if they’re in more of a hurry.

“You know,” Rey says quietly, glancing up at Ben for a moment. He looks back down at her just as she looks straight ahead. Something about her expression makes him worry about what she’ll say next. “After this is all over, I’m really going to miss you.”

Ben swallows, a lump suddenly caught in his throat.

_ After this is all over _ .

They’re from opposite sides of the country, if the clothes Rey’s been wearing in their down time the past few weeks are any indication. Ben’s from Chicago, and Rey is presumably from somewhere in Oregon. He hadn’t thought that far ahead, of what comes after they compete in the Olympics. He’d just assumed he’d go back home and forget any of this ever happened. That she’d want Finn, her old swim partner, back as her duet partner as soon as he was able. 

He hadn’t really considered wanting to keep her around.

Ben looks down at Rey, and squeezes her hand gently to try to capture her attention. When she looks up, they stop on the sidewalk. They’re near a park, and it’s dark, but the light streaming down from the street lamp covers them in bright lights and dark shadows. Rey thinks this sort of lighting suits Ben, suits his hair and his eyes and his face. And right now, she can’t read him at all.

“You say that like we’ll never see each other again,” Ben replies. He doesn’t know how to have this conversation - he never thought he’d have to.

Rey laughs, but he can see the sadness in her eyes. “Will we?” she wonders. “I need to go back to Oregon. I have a team there, one I’ve been coaching. I… I can’t leave them.”

“Your mom’s team?” Ben asks right away.

Rey seems surprised that he remembers. Nodding, she says, “Yeah. The one she started. I promised them I’d come back, win or lose.”

“I see.”

Ben looks down at Rey and can see the uncertainty in her gaze. She’s telling him in no uncertain terms that she can’t leave Oregon. He wouldn’t expect her to. Rey has a lot of memories in Oregon that she’ll miss. Ben has no doubt that she visits her parents’ graves, and that she’s built a legacy there, even if she has no family left. She has her team and her friends and those people are important to her.

“Sorry. I ruined the night,” Rey says, taking Ben’s silence as discomfort. 

She starts to walk again, and Ben has to shuffle to catch up to her. He takes hold of her hand again, but doesn’t know what to say. His whole life, Ben has lived with his parents and trained day in and day out, early in the morning, late at night… he’s done a few interviews, coached a few times (though admittedly, his temper presents a bit of a coaching challenge). But the one thing he realizes he doesn’t have is ties to a certain place.

It’d be crazy to move across the country for a girl he’s only known two months, though. Absolute lunacy. As much as he’d like to move out of his parents’ house and finally be on his own, that sort of move feels too crazy, too impulsive.

Crazy and impulsive are pretty good adjectives to describe Ben, though.

Rather than making any sort of promise, Ben just says in the warmest voice he can, “We’ll figure it out.”

Rey’s sad smile crosses her lips again, and he hates that he can’t give her more reassurance than that, but he’s got to think this through. Rey is too important to him to suffer whatever may go wrong due to his impulsive decisions. With her, he really wants to think things through. To try. He wants to be better for Rey.

They walk the rest of the way hand in hand, Rey’s worry drifting away as they start to talk again. She points out little cultural differences, or the way the lights look so beautiful on the big buildings towering around them. She’s clearly enjoying her adventure in a foreign country, and her enthusiasm is infectious.

Rey and Ben are in better spirits when they arrive back at the hotel, and when they return, Rose and Paige are there. The two girls seem much more at ease now that Rey has sorted out her relationship with Ben, and with slightly nervous silence, they all get ready for bed. The next morning starts an intense five days of synchro competition, with bronze, silver, and gold medals on the line.

And they  _ really _ want to win.


	10. Chapter 10: And Now We're Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The time to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics has finally arrived - will Ben and Rey place? How will the rest of Team USA rank? And will they ever have to see the dreaded Snoke and Hux again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks. We did it! Thank you to everyone who stuck with me all the way to the end. Each and every one of you are the motivation behind my finishing and posting this chapter. I could not have done this without you! I also want to thank Mariah and Rachel one last time for reading this over for grammar, content, and to make sure I didn't get too technical when talking about synchro. I also want to thank my teammates, who taught me all this synchro stuff to begin with ;)
> 
> To get an idea of a mixed duet, check out team USA from the 2015 world championships (Ben doesn't do the backflips like this guy does): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isPflUZ6Jf0 If you want to see more, just search for synchronized swimming mixed duets. There's TONS on YouTube!

Rey wakes up with the sun on Monday, not even Ben’s warm arms around her in bed enough to quell the nerves she feels in her stomach. Today is a very important day. This whole  _ week _ is important. They’re making history, swimming in the first ever Olympic Mixed Duet competition. It’s too early to get out of bed, even for them. The clock says it’s barely past six in the morning. Rey wants to groan with frustration, but doesn’t want to wake Ben.

She rolls over in his arms and sighs. He sniffles a little, and rolls his arm a little further around her waist, but doesn’t wake up.

Rey studies him in the early morning sun. His features look so gentle when he sleeps; his hair is disheveled and falls against the starch white pillows, and his mouth is dropped open just a little as he sleeps. His every muscle is relaxed; he looks calm, content. So different than when she’d first met him - when she’d hated him.

She knows full well that this relationship they’ve formed could crash and burn when the competition ends, but she’s hopeful that they’ll work something out. A long distance relationship, perhaps? All she knows is that even with his dark side, Ben is a good man and she’s not ready to say goodbye yet.

Whatever happens, she knows that she’s not going to let this week go to waste. She’s going to swim her heart out, with Ben and with her team, and she’s going to hope for the best. That’s all she could ever do, for herself, or for her parents.

She’s filled with excitement, now. Motivation. Exhilaration.

Rey rolls out of bed and resists the urge to wash her hair; it’ll have to be put up soon, and that always works better when it hasn't been washed in a day. She glances back at Ben, sleeping under the blankets so calmly, and at Rose and Paige who are sharing the bed nearer to the door. Rey smiles fondly at them and walks out the door to get some breakfast.

It’s early, but the breakfast has already been spread out. Rey has a stash of food to eat in the room - her show-day go-to snacks that make her feel good in the pool, don’t weigh her down. It’s a tradition her mom passed down to her. In the morning, drink coffee or tea. Before you swim, have some veggies. Always have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for good luck.

They’re silly things that won’t make a difference when it comes to whether they’ll win or not, but it’s a little bit of her mother she still carries with her. Her chest tightens as she wonders if she should share the tradition with Ben. She really, really wants to.

Rey gets coffee for herself, and then decides to grab some for everyone else in her room as well, as she sees the crowds gathering for breakfast. As she gets the cups ready and starts dispensing the coffee, someone approaches and stands too close to her for comfort. A chill shoots down Rey’s spine and she realizes it’s deliberate.

“You must be Rey Niima, the girl who took my best swimmer.”

_ Snoke _ . Rey suddenly feels fearful and angry and frustrated all at once. It’s like his mood has permeated the whole room, seeped through Rey to change her mood entirely. She looks at him for a moment before she says, “I didn’t take anything that didn’t want to be taken.”

“What are you saying, girl?”

The man is old and snarly, but not in a comforting way like Maz is. He looks ancient, with his skin wrinkled and leathery. His face is lopsided, a little like he’s had a stroke but mostly like he took a big hit to the face and his cheekbone didn’t survive it well. His eyes are piercing, menacing. Rey feels like he can see right through her. 

“Nothing,” Rey says, trying to sound sweet. She hears the tremor in her voice, though.

“Women are his weakness,” Snoke reminds her. It sends a chill down her spine. “You’re going to fail today, little girl. Kylo Ren is going to let you down and then break your heart and all of this work will have been for  _ nothing _ .”

Rey glares up at Snoke. He looks positively thrilled to have gotten under her skin so easily. He’s hitting her at her every worry, like he can read her mind almost. It makes her uncomfortable and she itches to leave. “Mark my words, Niima. You will not win, and Kylo Ren will be the cause of it.” Snoke leans in, his grotesque face just inches from her own, his tall figure slouching to look her in the eye. “You were a fool to steal my best swimmer. You  _ will _ pay.”

As badly as Rey wants to run, she instead narrows her eyes, trying to put on a brave face. “You know  _ nothing _ ,” she replies. “Least of all that he would never return to  _ you _ or your barbaric coaching methods.  _ Ben _ is where he belongs.” She says his name with emphasis, because he’s not the man named Kylo Ren, not anymore - not since he left Snoke.

Snoke stands slowly, eyeing Rey with amusement. Then, he starts to laugh, and it twists her gut and makes her feel sick. He’s a vile, disgusting man. He’s tough on his swimmers and terrible to his competition. He makes Rey want to crawl out of her own skin, to race away from him and never go anywhere near him, ever again. 

Rey escapes quickly, carrying the tray with four coffees on it precariously in one hand. She barely makes it to her room before she lets out a sob. She’s not going to cry, but she feels like she narrowly escaped what could have been a much worse fate. Her chest feels tight and she’s definitely shaken; Snoke’s mere presence was enough to shake her confidence and her resolve and her level-headedness, leaving her to feel like a complete wreck just hours before she competes.

And she knows that’s exactly what he’d wanted to do, too.

Rey gently starts to wake everyone around seven o’clock, handing them coffee and telling them to get changed. Ben is sleepy, and he looks like he’d rather sleep for another ten hours, but he at least sits up a little when Rey puts a cup of coffee in his hands. He does a double take when he sees her though, and grabs her wrist, not letting her walk away. “Ben, what -?”

“What happened?”

“I have to pack,” Rey says lamely.

Ben gently tugs on her hand, coaxing her to sit down on the bed. He sits up straighter, crossing his legs to lean in. She looks positively ashen and terrified. Is this how nervous she gets on a show day? “What happened?” he asks again.

Rey pokes at the lid of her coffee cup and looks over to the other side of the room. Paige and Rose are looking at something on Rose’s laptop; they’re distracted enough for Rey to feel comfortable confessing, “I ran into Snoke. It wasn’t a big deal, though.”

Ben looks alarmed, and then his eyes darken with anger. “What did he say?”

Shaking her head, Rey says, “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Ben replies flatly.

She sighs. “It’s not important. We need to focus on today,” Rey says. Ben looks like he wants to push. “It doesn’t matter. I’m not going to tell you until our events are done no matter how much you give me that look,” Rey tells him sternly. “I will not have it screw up your swimming.”

“Won’t it screw up yours?” Ben counters.

Rey wants to be offended, and opens her mouth to protest, but then sees the look on Ben’s face. He’s concerned. Not just for her, but for them both. It’s a team effort. Rey sighs - after all his hard work, the last thing she wants to do is let him down. “Fine. He told me that this won’t end well. I told him I didn’t believe him,” she explains.

Ben narrows his eyes.

“That’s really all there was to it.”

She leaves out his intimidation factor or the other threats he made. She doesn’t mention the menacing look on his face or the way he’d openly mocked her when she stood up for Ben. It’s not important. “Now, can we please focus on  _ us _ ?” Rey says, trying hard to change the subject. “We have,” she glances down at her phone to see the time, “five hours until we swim. Duet prelims start at nine, and I’d like to be there for at least the first half so we can see Kaydel and Koo swim. They’re sometime during the nine o’clock hour.”

“Explain this to me again?” Ben asks. “Why do they have to swim three times and we only swim twice?”

Rey smiles and gets a little more comfortable on the bed, sitting cross-legged to face him. “Women’s duets are different than ours. They have twice as many entries because more countries have women’s duets. So, they swim their free routine twice. Whichever twelve teams score highest in their combined free and tech routines get to swim their free routine one last time. That gets combined with the original tech score to determine who gets what placement. So there could be an upset if two teams were really close the first time around.”

With relief, Rey adds, “Since we only have twelve countries competing in the mixed duet, we only have to swim each routine once. We do the tech today, and the free tomorrow, and then we see who gets medals.”

“Do you think we’ll win?” Ben asks.

“Honestly?” Rey prods. Ben nods. “I think we’ll place somewhere in the middle of the pack. Russia, China, and Japan all have incredibly good synchronized swimming programs. They usually sweep the medals for the synchro category.” Ben looks a little frustrated at that, but Rey adds, “Our category is new though, remember? There’s no precedent.”

“Are those countries competing with mixed duets, though?”

Rey shrugs. “Yeah. But it’ll be okay,” she says. “For me, at least, the most important part is the fact that the event my parents pushed so hard for is  _ finally  _ happening. And I get to swim it.” She smiles at Ben and says, “No matter what happens, I’m glad we did this. You and me.”

“What about Finn?” Ben asks in earnest.

“Finn has Poe,” she says, “I could see it coming. They were meant for each other and that’s going to mean he starts to give up swimming, a little bit at a time. This… probably couldn’t have happened at a better time, for any of us.”

Rey’s phone goes off, and she sees that it’s Phasma, texting her to go down the hall to have her hair done. “Alright, I need to go,” Rey says. She looks up at Ben and tells him, “You want to feel my soft hair one more time before I go glue it down for a few days?”

Ben looks confused, which makes Rey laugh. Her eyes sparkle when she does. “Hair spray doesn’t keep in a pool,” she explains. “So we use gelatin, made very thick, and paint it on. It creates a sort of helmet, so our hair stays put. I’m going to go have it done and it’ll stay there until we finish tomorrow.”

“This sport is ridiculous,” Ben says, setting his coffee aside. He reaches out with both hands, cupping Rey’s cheeks, deliberately keeping her hair under his grasp. Gently, he presses a kiss to her lips and says, “You’re lucky I like you.”

Rey laughs against his lips, all earlier worry and stress due to her run in with Snoke gone. She was enjoying herself too much, now. She was excited to see what she and Ben could put in the water, to see if they had a chance. 

\---

Rey gets her hair done, and then she and Ben walk with the rest of the team save for Kaydel and Koo, who are down on the deck preparing to swim. The team sits together in the stands, watching as the routines begin. Switzerland, Great Britain, China, Austria, Israel, and then the USA. 

The girls are good -  _ really _ good - and Rey screams her heart out whenever the girls nail a move. Ben watches the routine, but he watches Rey more. He’s never seen anyone so enthralled with their own sport, so excited for their teammates. Rey is definitely a woman all her own. There won’t be another girl out there like her, Ben is sure of it - and he refuses to lose her, at least without a fight.

When the Team USA Women’s synchro duet is done, Rey and Ben have to go downstairs with Phasma to prepare for their own routine. They’re swimming the tech routine, the harder of the two, and Ben is nervous. People will be tuning in to watch them, just because he’s Kylo Ren, because he’s switched from speed swimming to synchronized swimming. He’s an anomaly. People are intrigued.

They do some land drilling, and then stretch more than Ben thinks is necessary. They sit down to eat a little something - Rey insists Ben has to have veggies and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with her, but can’t bring herself to explain why - and then they’re lining up to compete. He’s in a crimson speedo, and she’s in a black and crimson suit with gold detailing. Half the suit is sheer - the whole back, and a swirl down the front from her neckline to her belly button, right between her breasts. Part of Ben wishes they’d practiced in these suits so he wouldn’t be so damn distracted by her. She’s wearing makeup, too - a bit too much, in his opinion - and her hair is, in fact, glued into a bun with that gelatin.

But she looks proud, and she’s smiling, and that sparkle in her eyes is still there.

They swim after France, going third of twelve. They walk out on deck, get in position, and wait for the music. They swim harder than they’ve ever swum before. They get out of the pool when it’s all done and wait on the side, nervously awaiting their score. 

> _ 90.858 _

Of the three teams who have performed so far, they have the highest score. Rey isn’t hopeful they’ll maintain that lead, but it’s a good place to start. Breaking 90 points out of one-hundred with a tech routine is an impressive feat in and of itself.

Rey explains this to Ben, but he still seems to think they could have done better. Rey begs him to channel that into their performance the next day, to push them to do better. He promises he will. At the end of the day, the standings put them in fifth place, behind Russia, China, Japan, and Italy respectively. Rey is ecstatic. Ben tries to be, too.

Her hair is hard as a rock, so he doesn’t cuddle with her that night. When Rey wakes up, she smiles at the fact that he’d changed his mind about that sometime in the middle of the night. His embrace is warm where he holds her around her waist, and Rey swears she’s going to remember this long after the Olympics are over, when she’s pretty sure he’s going back home. These next five days will be so important, for so many reasons.

\---

Tuesday goes similarly to Monday. They get up and go to the pool in the morning to watch the duets swim their tech routines. Kaydel and Koo swim at 9:30, and after the team cheers them on, Rey and Ben disappear to run through their free routine on land. Then they stretch and prepare to get in the water.

Rey tries not to think too hard about it, but every time a score is announced, she has to listen in, to see how the standings are starting to shake out. When they step up to the pool deck to perform, the standings are:

> _ Gold medal position: Russia - free score of 97.067, overall score of 193.436 _ _   
>  _ _ Silver medal position: Italy - free score of 91.533, overall score of 182.974 _ _   
>  _ _ Bronze medal position: Canada - free score of 87.267, overall score of 176.728 _ _   
>  _ _ France: free score of 84.033, overall score of 170.388 _ _   
>  _ __ Great Britain: free score of 78.700, overall score of 162.627

Rey and Ben are swimming sixth of all the twelve duets, and she knows it’s not worth it to think too hard about scores at this point. However, she feels confident that, even if just for a few minutes, they can be in one of the medal positions. They can beat Canada’s 87, and they placed above them in the tech routine.

They swim their routine from beginning to end, and Rey hopes she’s not imagining it when she thinks it’s best they’ve ever done it. Their suits for this one are navy blue and silver, and the music is intense, and the judges seem to really like it. Most importantly, the lift goes off without a hitch. As they stand on the deck waiting for their scores, Rey catches Maz’s eye. Rey can safely say that never in her life has she seen Maz look prouder.

Finally, the announcer speaks up. “Team USA Mixed Duet free routine score: 96.691.” Rey’s eyes go wide and she feels a little faint. They got a  _ ninety six _ . That’s less than one point behind Russia. They have a chance. “Team USA Mixed Duet overall score: 187.549.”

Rey reaches over to hug Ben, so proud of them that she could cry. Regardless of how they place, the elation she feels knowing they performed within one point of Russia is enough to be proud of. Maz is cheering openly for them on the pool deck, and Phasma looks rather smug when she leans over and says, “That puts you two in the second place position, for now.” 

Ben has never felt this sort of excitement before; he’s always known where he’s finished right away. He’s not used to having to hang around and wait and watch as the standings fluctuate. Their main competitors, Japan and China, haven’t had a chance to swim yet. If they both do well, team USA will lose their chance at a medal.

Ben and Rey pull on their team USA gear and sit on the bleachers by the pool, watching the other teams compete, surrounded by the rest of the USA synchro team.

Spain doesn’t boot them out of their spot. Japan does, safely securing second by a mere  _ two hundredths  _ of a point, bumping Rey and Ben down to third place. Australia, Switzerland, and Ukraine all swim, but none of them surpass Ben and Rey.

The whole team huddles around Rey and Ben as they watch China swim. They’re the last team, and they look  _ amazing _ . Phasma has done the math - if China gets higher than a 93.428, they’ll surpass Ben and Rey and steal the bronze from them. Rey waits with bated breath, Ben’s hand in hers, as they wait for China’s score.

It doesn’t come.

Judges are whispering, and then gathering around a camera, and then whispering some more. 

“Team China Mixed Duet has received a penalty,” says the announcer. “Half a point will be deducted for use of the bottom of the pool during the routine.”

Rey squeezes Ben’s hand impossibly tight. There’s no way this could work out in their favor, but it’ll make it closer - which could either be more or less painful, depending on how one looks at it.

Ben has never felt this sort of anxiety before, ever in his life. This moment feels like it takes forever to unfold. He clutches Rey’s hand in his own, shares in her worry, her hope, her  _ dream _ . He’s worked so hard for this - if they somehow win a medal, he’d be shocked. He’d be elated. Mostly, he’d be happy for Rey. It was her dream, he just helped her achieve it.

Finally, the announcer speaks once more, “Team China Mixed Duet free routine score  _ after penalty _ : 93.400.” Rey suddenly can’t remember what score they needed to steal bronze away from her and Ben. Phasma told her, but in her excitement, Rey has forgotten. “Team China Mixed Duet overall score: 187.521.”

Rey can’t remember their own score in her head, now. She’s too caught up in the buzz of  _ what if, what if, what if _ . “We did it,” says Ben’s shocked voice in her ear, pulling her back to earth, to reality. “Rey, we did it.”

She looks up at Ben, her eyes wide. There’s no way.

There’s  _ no way _ .

And yet, her whole team is going berserk around her. They’re beaming and cheering - even Maz and Phasma. Rey just looks shocked. 

Her eyes drift up to the standings board and sure enough, clear as day, it’s right there:

> _ GOLD - Russia - 193.436 _ _   
>  _ _ SILVER - Japan - 187.569 _ _   
>  _ _ BRONZE - USA - 187.549 _ _   
>  _ _ China - 187.521 _ _   
>  _ _ Italy - 182.974 _ _   
>  _ __ Ukraine - 178.149

The stadium is screaming around her, full of excitement, but all Rey can do is look up at Ben, still in shock. He’s grinning wider than she’s ever seen him do before. In her daze, she can’t form a coherent thought, or sentence, or anything. All she can think to do is wrap her arms tightly around Ben’s shoulders and hold on for dear life.

She couldn’t have done this without him.

It takes her a moment to realize she’s crying into his shoulder, but when she does, she’s furiously embarrassed. “It’s okay,” he tells her. Ben soothes his hand down her back.

Rey wants to say something - anything - but she’s too choked up. The very thing her parents fought for, she just  _ medaled _ in. The moment is surreal. She’s torn between absolute elation, having won a medal for synchronized swimming, but also immense sadness, that her parents couldn’t be there to witness it.

“Rey, you’ve got to go get your medal,” she hears Maz say after a few moments. She feels Maz’s small, delicate hand patting her back. Ben’s still holding on to her, too. “Go up there, make your parents proud,” Maz encourages her.

Ben can’t imagine how this must feel for Rey. He doesn’t know how to be there for her, either. He decides to just hold her hand, to smile with her, to lead her through the motions of this next part since she’s too shocked to think clearly. Ben leads Rey up to the podium, where they stand on the Bronze pedestal together. Rey clutches Ben’s hand like it’s her lifeline and wipes at her face. She doesn’t want people to know she’s been crying - her attempts are futile, but make her feel better anyway.

When Rey feels the weight of the medal around her neck, she nearly loses it again. There are pictures -  _ so many pictures  _ \- and it’s all a blur for Rey. What she wants is to celebrate. What she also wants is to cry.

After everything finishes, Rey folds herself against Ben, too exhausted to reach up to hold him around his shoulders. Instead, she loops her arms around his waist and lets a few tears fall into his jacket. “Your parents would be so proud of you,” he tells her. He knows it’s what she needs to hear.

“Of  _ us _ ,” Rey corrects him.

Ben’s chest twists with the thought. They’re a team, and they can work together. They did it.

\---

The team wants to go out and celebrate, but all Rey wants to do is sleep. She’s exhausted, having experienced such a spectrum of emotions in the past two days. Besides, she needs to rest up - they still have the team routine competition on Thursday and Friday. Ben insists that he and Rey would like to just relax for the night. Aside from a few wiggling eyebrows from teammates who think they’ll be celebrating in  _ other ways _ , the team lets them off the hook relatively easily.

Rey’s been shockingly quiet all evening. Ben understands, and doesn’t push her to talk to him, to open up and let it out. He’s not quite sure what that would do to help things any. Rey’s voice is a little hoarse as she tells him to shower first, saying that her hair will take ages to get the dried gelatin out of. He showers, and then it’s her turn, and she spends close to an hour under the scalding spray, picking out gelatin. It’ll just have to be be re-done on Thursday, but she needs to let it out for at least a day.

When she returns to the room, Ben has Netflix playing some mindless show on his laptop. He’s not really paying attention to it. Mostly, he’s just waiting for Rey, so he can make sure she’s alright. 

She emerges from the bathroom in an old synchro shirt and some shorts, her skin pink from the warmth of the spray. Ben tries to look away when he realizes she’s not wearing a bra, her pert nipples poking at the thin fabric of her shirt. Her hair is damp and hanging over her shoulders, and her face is free from makeup, and a little puffy, too. She looks absolutely exhausted.

Ben closes his laptop and scoots over on the bed, beckoning her in. She curls into his side on instinct, arms around his waist, face on his chest. He just holds her; words are failing him. He has no idea what Rey is feeling right now.

Finally, she speaks. “I can’t thank you enough,” she says softly.

Ben rubs her back. “I could say the same to you,” he replies. Rey laughs a little. Eight weeks ago, he hadn’t wanted to do this at all.

“I wish they could have seen us.”

Her words start an ache in his chest that he’s never felt before. She’s hurting so much, knowing that her parents weren’t there to see them win. Ben feels a twinge of guilt, for having parents who were there to watch it but paying them no mind. He feels selfish, like he’s taking what he has for granted. “I know,” he says, rubbing her back. “But everyone who loves you was here to watch you, and that’s a big deal.”

“Everyone who loves  _ you _ was here, too,” Rey tells him.

Rey’s statement takes a moment to process. She’s talking about his parents. Ben sighs and says, “I know. You’re right.” 

“They wanted to talk to you today,” she adds.

And she’s right about that, too. He’d seen his parents on the pool deck as he was being given the bronze medal with Rey. Both of his parents - applauding, beaming.  _ Proud of him _ . And he’d brushed right past them. “I know,” Ben tells her. “But you needed me.”

“I did,” Rey sighs. She snuggles closer to him, so she can avoid looking into his eyes. “That scares me.”

Confused, he asks, “Why?”

“Because…” Rey trails off. “I’m not used to needing people. I don’t know what this will mean for me when the Olympics are over.”

Frowning, Ben says, “It’s not like we’ll never speak to each other again.”

“No,” Rey sighs. “But I live in Oregon. And you live…” she hesitates, “God, I don’t even know where you live!”

She looks up at Ben, a little frantic. “I live in Chicago,” he tells her calmly. “And you need some sleep. You’re tired. Don’t worry about us, we’re going to be fine.” Ben kisses her forehead; kissing her lips feels wrong, like an invasion of her space when she’s so emotional and raw. “You need to keep it together for a few more days, alright?”

Rey looks so exhausted, it pains Ben to see. “Come here,” he coaxes.

He slides down under the blankets, and lifts them so Rey will join them. She does, her hair cold on his arm as she sidles up to him so naturally. She rests her head against his chest and his arms circle her waist protectively. “Sleep,” he tells her. “We can talk tomorrow.”

Rey drifts off easily, leaving Ben stuck with his thoughts well into the night.

\---

Rey sleeps for twelve hours and then wakes up to watch Kaydel and Koo swim in the free duet finals. They’d placed in the top twelve during the preliminary round, earning another chance to move higher up the scoreboard. They place fifth out of twenty-four overall, and even if they don’t get a medal, that’s a major accomplishment for them.

The whole team swims their tech routine on Thursday, and Ben invites his parents to sit with him, the coaches, Finn, and Poe. It’s not as awkward as it could be. Ben tries to ignore how easily Poe and Finn can connect with his parents, especially Poe with Leia. On Friday, the team swims their free routine, and team USA is close, but not close enough. They place fourth, after Russia, China, and Japan respectively, just as Rey predicted they would. They trail Japan by eight hundredths of a point. Maz tells the girls to see it as a victory.

The closing ceremony is chaotic and loud, and the speed swimmers try to criticize Ben and Rey, but their words stop short when they see the bronze medals around their necks. Snoke is especially bitter about it, and manages a sneer but no vile words when he sees them. Ben is shocked, but Rey isn’t surprised. She’d put that old man in his place, even if their accomplishment was largely due to Ben and his hard work over the last eight weeks.

As they walk back to their hotel, choosing not to cram onto the crowded public transit or hop on a bus stuck in the crazy Olympic traffic, Ben and Rey hold hands and feel more relaxed than they have in weeks. Rey feels oddly empty at the same time, though, now that she realizes the journey is over.

“I never asked,” Ben says after a few moments, “What are your plans now that the games are done?”

“Go back to Oregon, keep coaching,” Rey says easily. She glances up at Ben. This feels like the start of a breakup, and a painful one at that.

Ben nods, but doesn’t look down at her. Not a good sign. After a few moments of silence, he asks, “Look… would it be weird if…” he stops, and then rephrases his question. “How do you feel about me taking a job out in Oregon? There’s an opening for a high school speed swimming coach in this little place called Ashland. I don’t want to just follow you around and make you uncomfortable, but…”

“Wait -  _ I’m _ from Ashland.”

Rey stops in her tracks and looks at Ben, who keeps taking a few strides before he turns around, realizing she’d stopped. She stares at him for a moment, and he tries his best to look innocent. “That’s why I’m asking,” he says simply. “If it’s weird…”

Ben had pulled a few strings with his mom and Maz, but he wasn’t ready to let Rey go yet. Besides, he needed to grow up and move on to bigger and better things. Life was starting to pass him by.

“It’s not weird,” Rey says, smiling. Her eyes are gleaming, and she bounds towards Ben to hug him. “I would love that. God, it’s a beautiful city. Nothing like Chicago, but it’s by a couple mountain ranges, and Napa Valley isn’t too far away. I could show you around, and…” She leans back to look at him, stopping suddenly like she’s just realized something. “You talked to Maz, didn’t you? That’s how you knew where I was from?”

“I mean, it’s not really a secret,” Ben shrugs. “You wear old clothes with your high school name stuck all over it all the time.” He smirks. “The job thing, though. Yeah. That was Maz.”

“She knows literally every swimmer, I swear,” Rey laughs.

“So that’s a yes, then? I can take the job?”

Rey smiles and embraces him once more. She presses a gentle kiss to his lips and says, “Please take the job.”

Six weeks ago they might have called each other the loneliest people they knew, but somehow they’d managed to flip that on its ear. Now, Rey had a real chance to quell her loneliness and to pass on her mother’s legacy. Her  _ parents’ _ legacy. And Ben - well, he’d already spoken to his parents, and they all decided this was for the best - not that he needed their permission. He’d never fully get along with them, and he was ready to be his own man. The distance would be good for them. Instead, Ben was ready to open up to Rey, to trust her in ways he’d never trusted anyone else. He wanted to build a life with her, to help her parents’ legacy live on.

When they hopped on the plane out of Japan, they left behind one chapter of their lives to begin a new, wild adventure together in Oregon. Where it would take them, neither could guess, but that was just part of the fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this ending is satisfying for you - and if you're so inclined, check out the short epilogue I wrote and posted as a bonus chapter 11 ;)


	11. Chapter 11: Five Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue: Five Years Later - where are Ben and Rey now that their Olympic journey is over?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I couldn't resist - have a peek at their lives five years after the Olympics!

“She’s way too young.”

“No she’s not.”

Rey stands at the edge of the pool, looking sternly at Ben. He’s standing in the shallow end of the pool, the one they coach at during the week. Most people are enjoying the bright sunlight outside, the throes of summer upon them. Mara is only three months old, and they still fear her getting a sunburn. They fear almost  _ everything _ , because Mara is a baby, and she’s new, and she’s fragile. Ben still feels like he’s going to break her every time he holds her.

Mara gurgles where she lays in Rey’s arms, and she slowly sits down on the edge of the pool. “I started swimming when I was her age,” Rey says, her voice gentle. She does that whenever she looks at Mara.

“My mom made me wait until I was three.”

Rey smiles. “But if she’s going to do better than a third place bronze, she’ll need to start now,” she says with amusement. “Trust me, it’ll be alright. She loves bath time.”

“Yes, in a  _ sink _ . Where she can’t  _ drown. _ ”

He looks incredibly serious as he watches Rey lower herself into the water. Mara is wearing a swim diaper and a ridiculous fluorescent yellow baby swimsuit, and her big hazel eyes look up at Ben. She’s got a hand in her mouth and she gurgles around it. Ben looks nervous, almost. He figures he’d be more scared if she didn’t look quite as headstrong as her mother.

“She won’t drown,” Rey reminds him. “She has us.”

Ben pushes his hair out of his face - it hasn’t changed in five years. He trims it the same way every time. One night after a few too many drinks, just a few months before he’d proposed, Ben confessed that he kept his hair long to hide his ears. Rey had wanted to know for ages why he kept his hair long - not that she minded, of course. He’d pulled his hair back to show her, and Rey had cooed. It was so cute, Ben being self-conscious about his ears. She fell a little more in love with him that day.

One of the very first things Ben had said when he’d seen Mara for the first time was that he was relieved she hadn’t gotten his ears. Rey just smiled because she could tell Mara got her father’s dark hair - one of the many things she adored about Ben.

Rey looks up into Ben’s eyes and smiles warmly. His protective nature is sweet. Gently, Rey adjusts Mara in her arms, her hands holding their daughter around her torso. Mara giggles as Rey lowers her into the water, and then her little legs kick at the water, splashing Ben. “See?” Rey says, glancing up at Ben. “She likes the water.”

“Could you imagine if she didn’t?” Ben says.

“She still might not like swimming,” Rey reminds him. Mara squeals between them, kicking water at Ben again. “Here, you should hold her,” Rey says, “She’d like to do this with you, I bet.”

Ben takes his daughter into his hands, delicate with her as always. Ben’s hands are large against Mara’s tiny body, and he feels a flash of fear that he’s going to hurt her, like he always does when he picks her up. He’d never hurt her though, this Rey knows. Eventually his fear will ebb away, as he gets used to this new world of fatherhood, but until then they’re going to work through it together. 

Han and Leia moved to Los Angeles to be nearer to most of Han’s acting jobs, so now they’re all on the west coast, at least. When they get too worried or feel like they’re in over their heads, they can always call Leia for help. She’d warmed back up to Rey after she realized that Rey makes Ben a better man. She was thankful to see the change in her son at the Olympics, and apologized profusely for Rey for how she behaved while they were in Tokyo. Rey, who was thankful to have a family again, forgave Leia right away. Just as Ben said, they’d proven to her that they were a team, that being together made them stronger, and Leia recognized that.

Life in Ashland, Oregon has been good to them, though. They’ve gotten to know the parents of the kids they coach - Rey from the synchronized swimming team, and Ben from his swim coaching job at the high school. Those parents are so supportive, so willing to lend a hand or offer some advice, and they’ve really built their own little world in Oregon. It’s more than Ben ever thought he’d have.

They talked about competing together at the 2024 Olympics, but just a week before they were going to go to qualifiers, Rey had a routine physical and found out she was pregnant. She’d done the math in her head - it all lined up with their wedding night. So cliche. She’d laughed, and then she’d cried, and then she’d told Ben. He’d been speechless, and then he’d taken her hand, and the ultrasound photo, and took her where he knew she’d want to go - to tell her parents.

Ben was good at that - reading Rey, understanding what she needed. Sometimes it felt like he could read her mind. She could do the same for him, too, which was exactly what she was doing there in the pool. Ben needed to see for himself that Mara would be just fine in the water.

He dips her down into the water, but only up to her chest. Mara giggles and flails her little arms. Rey beams at her daughter, and then up at her husband. Rey takes her daughter’s hands and smiles at her, waving her arms around. She crouches down so she’s eye level with Mara and asks, “Are you ready to swim, little one? Huh?”

Mara squeals, getting used to the idea of making a noise when one of her parents makes noise to her. She can’t comprehend their words yet, but she’s learning. Rey looks up at Ben. “I’m going to keep holding her hands. Dip her in the water, okay?”

“I am,” Ben says. He looks happy, but he sounds nervous.

“All the way under, just for a moment,” Rey insists. “It’ll be alright. She’ll like it, I bet.”

Ben looks down at Rey and wants to protest, but he knows there’s no better way to get Mara accustomed to the water. He dips her once, but just barely. Mara comes above the surface and coughs and sputters, shocked by what he’s done. But then she giggles and splashes some more and Rey’s smile tells Ben it’s okay to do it again. So he does.

They don’t spend more than twenty minutes in the water with her, under the advice of the baby books Rey had read, but Ben is already much more comfortable having his daughter in the pool. He finds that he really hopes she loves swimming as much as they do - but is already at peace with the fact that she might not.

While Ben and Rey hadn’t planned to be parents quite so soon after getting married, now that they have Mara, they wouldn’t have it any other way. The Olympics were a phase of their lives that meant a great deal to them, but they were beyond that, now. Going back would be almost humiliating, given how old they were getting. Instead, Rey and Ben were determined to work their students hard, to find the right talent, to help other kids achieve their Olympic dreams instead.

On the drive home, Ben holds Rey’s hand, Mara snoozing contentedly in her car seat. Their lives have changed so much in five years.

When they walk through the front door of their house, Rey’s eyes go wide.

Ben, sneaky as ever, has somehow managed to have dinner made for them while they were away. He won’t tell her how, but Rey has a feeling it has something to do with his parents, who travel up to Oregon much more than she’d expected they would. She sets Mara’s baby carrier down carefully, and looks at the table where the table is set. The smell of pasta fills the house, and she just stares as Ben lights a candle on the table.

“What…?” Rey trails off.

Ben is on and off when it comes to romance - sometimes he overthinks it and stresses and then just backs out from embarrassment, but other times he’s not afraid to be the cliche romantic. This is one of those times. He grins at her and says, “Happy anniversary.”

Rey stares at Ben, overcome with surprise and happiness. Of course she knew it was their anniversary, but they’d talked about going out for dinner, and that was it. She wasn’t expecting this. The diversionary tactics were impressive though, she’d grant him that. She smiles and walks to him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to steal a kiss. “Happy anniversary,” she whispers against his mouth.

“Surprised?” he asks.

Rey laughs. “I hope it was your parents who broke into our house.”

Ben looks smug. “I will not share my secrets.”

She steals another kiss, smiling against his mouth the whole time. Just when she thinks she knows him, she’s surprised by something new. All she knows for sure is that she loves this man, and he loves her, and whether Mara or any future children they may have love swimming, she feels like her parents’ legacy has lived on. Rey has the happy future she’d always dreamed of, and Ben is just  _ happy _ . Neither could ask for more.

“I love you, Ben Solo,” Rey says softly. 

Her gaze is warm and full of love, and Ben looks back at her with the same look in his dark eyes. Rey’s heart skips a beat. 

“I love you too, Rey Solo.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come say hello in the comments or at reyssolo over on tumblr.


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